Kelly Marie Sheerin
she/her
Would Ya Steal Me Grave As Quick?
Kelly Marie’s work delves into the uniquely Irish approach to grief, exploring the customs, traditions and superstitions that surround wakes and funerals in rural Ireland. Her practice is a reflective process, looking at death through a cultural lens while also reflecting on her own personal experience with it. Her work embraces the unease that comes with discussing life’s fragility and the certainty of death, while confronting her own feelings of grief.
Fascinated by the rituals surrounding loss, Kelly Marie finds unexpected moments of humour within the discomfort of her own grief, creating work that reflects this in a series of still-life paintings, each with an anecdotal account. She explores grief through a cultural lens within the rural society of her home in County Offaly, reflecting on rituals such as ‘funeral sandwiches’ through painting while also using photographical and video elements to reflect on the traditions and rituals surrounding death.
Teaching Placements
St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Rochfortbridge, Co. Westmeath
Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath
Drimnagh Castle Secondary School, Co.Dublin