Amanda Coogan is an internationally recognised and critically acclaimed artist working across the medias of live art, sculpture, installation and photography. Her works are immersive, non-verbal, embodied experiences. Her expertise lies in her ability to condense an idea to its very essence and communicate it through her body. Sign Language is a touchstone, born hearing to Deaf parents, this visual and manual upbringing deeply informs her practice. She is celebrated for her compelling durational performances. Her practice moves freely between solo performances, dynamic group works and living installation. She explores contested sites and minority narratives, distilling these into urgent contemporary performances. Venus Patel is an experimental film and performance artist based in Dublin. Her work concerns her experience as a trans femme of colour, trying to navigate the world. Through the use of costuming, loose gender expression, and public performance, she encapsulates the campy blend of her queer identity. Venus questions the heteronormative society we live in, why the need to conform is so heavily enforced, and how that affects the perceptions of ourself, others, and the world around us. Although her work deals with serious subject matter, she utilises a unique mix of humour, absurdity, and abjection to create multi-faceted performances and experiences.
