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01/10/2020 - 01/06/2021

O’Toole is an independent artist and practice-based researcher examining how humans experience, and form relationships with, the environment and the everyday. Through her focus on ‘pathic aesthetics’ O’Toole’s site-responsive drawing practice engages the atmospheric, material, temporal and corporeal aspects of sites in developing the work. These pathic responses in all their complexity: diversity, directness, universality and presentness; are evidence of how humans are both subject to, and affected by, the world that surrounds them. By paying close attention to the atmospheres, resonances and material affects immanent to diverse environments O’Toole hopes to create a 'Holding Space' for something intermediate, something in and between us, a space where we can pay attention to the here and now which is always and already happening.

Kiera O’Toole, Drawing from the Non-Place, chalk on concrete structure, 2017. In this project, the phenomena of drawing as a pre-reflective perceptual experience queries whether drawing can awaken a sense of wondering of a non-place to become ‘a place’. The aim is too evoke a sense of strangeness, unfamiliarity and uncertainty that opens up into a wonderous vista. This project is also a book chapter in Body, Space, and place in Collective and Collaborative Drawing, edited by Jill Journeaux, Helen Gorill and Sara Reed and published by Cambridge Scholars, 2020. The project was also presented at Coventry University’s conference: Drawing Conversations 2: Body, Space, Place. Coventry University, UK in 2017.
Kiera O’Toole, Drawing from the Non-Place, chalk on concrete structure, 2017.

In this project, the phenomena of drawing as a pre-reflective perceptual experience queries whether drawing can awaken a sense of wondering of a non-place to become ‘a place’. The aim is too evoke a sense of strangeness, unfamiliarity and uncertainty that opens up into a wonderous vista.

This project is also a book chapter in Body, Space, and place in Collective and Collaborative Drawing, edited by Jill Journeaux, Helen Gorill and Sara Reed and published by Cambridge Scholars, 2020. The project was also presented at Coventry University’s conference: Drawing Conversations 2: Body, Space, Place. Coventry University, UK in 2017.
Kiera O’Toole, Drawing Wonder, Day 3, chalk on concrete structure, 2019. Drawing Wonder is one of nine successful projects selected for Project Anywhere’s highly competitive 2019/20 Global Exhibition Program. Project Anywhere is a global blind peer reviewed exhibition program dedicated to art and artistic research at the outermost limits of location- specificity. The project titled Drawing Wonder: A phenomenological investigation into the Site Specific Drawing examines how site specific drawing has the capacity to create a sense of wonder in order to call attention to the ontological relationship between the subject [drawer and viewer] and the object [drawing] and the site.
Kiera O’Toole, Drawing Wonder, Day 3, chalk on concrete structure, 2019.

Drawing Wonder is one of nine successful projects selected for Project Anywhere’s highly competitive 2019/20 Global Exhibition Program. Project Anywhere is a global blind peer reviewed exhibition program dedicated to art and artistic research at the outermost limits of location- specificity. The project titled Drawing Wonder: A phenomenological investigation into the Site Specific Drawing examines how site specific drawing has the capacity to create a sense of wonder in order to call attention to the ontological relationship between the subject [drawer and viewer] and the object [drawing] and the site.
Kiera O’Toole, Warning, chalk on concrete structure, Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2019. Warning was commissioned by Art Walk Porty Festival curated by Rosy Naylor. ‘WARNING’ centres on the relationship between humans and the natural landscape of a beach. The work focuses on the local fragile ecology and environmental conditions by calling attention to what is visible to reveal what is not. The work calls attention to the seven groin warning structures located on the beach through a series of site-specific chalk drawings on the walls of the disused pumping station, three public warning signs and a site-specific installation. ‘WARNING’ and all of the OPW Office of Public Wonder projects query whether drawing, as a perceptual experience can suspend the viewers attention in a temporary ‘Holding Space’ of wonder so that they maybe awakened to the basic experience of the world and “hear the uncanny rumble of existence itself”. (Van Manen 2011).
Kiera O’Toole, Warning, chalk on concrete structure, Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2019.

Warning was commissioned by Art Walk Porty Festival curated by Rosy Naylor. ‘WARNING’ centres on the relationship between humans and the natural landscape of a beach. The work focuses on the local fragile ecology and environmental conditions by calling attention to what is visible to reveal what is not. The work calls attention to the seven groin warning structures located on the beach through a series of site-specific chalk drawings on the walls of the disused pumping station, three public warning signs and a site-specific installation. ‘WARNING’ and all of the OPW Office of Public Wonder projects query whether drawing, as a perceptual experience can suspend the viewers attention in a temporary ‘Holding Space’ of wonder so that they maybe awakened to the basic experience of the world and “hear the uncanny rumble of existence itself”. (Van Manen 2011).
Kiera O’Toole, Wonder Stones, still, 3.08 mp4, 2019. Wonder Stones refers to our shared cultural heritage of ‘scared stones’. By referencing the use of stones which dates back to our prehistoric past, we may explore the present. ‘Wonder Stones’ alludes to the common act of picking up a stone that catches our attention whilst walking. Stones were said to contain secrets or used to promote fertility, bring good luck, cure the sick or curse your enemy. The sound in the video artwork also refers to our prehistoric past. It is a recording of a lithophone by archeologist Dr Jean-Loup Ringot who specialises in prehistoric music. A Lithophone is one of the oldest musical instruments and consist of stones which are struck together to produce musical notes. This musical notes in tandem with the modified natural materials, the existing objects (stones) are given new meaning to create an opportunity for a renewed engagement with nature and highlight the common act of collecting stones.
Kiera O’Toole, Wonder Stones, still, 3.08 mp4, 2019.

Wonder Stones refers to our shared cultural heritage of ‘scared stones’. By referencing the use of stones which dates back to our prehistoric past, we may explore the present. ‘Wonder Stones’ alludes to the common act of picking up a stone that catches our attention whilst walking.

Stones were said to contain secrets or used to promote fertility, bring good luck, cure the sick or curse your enemy. The sound in the video artwork also refers to our prehistoric past. It is a recording of a lithophone by archeologist Dr Jean-Loup Ringot who specialises in prehistoric music. A Lithophone is one of the oldest musical instruments and consist of stones which are struck together to produce musical notes. This musical notes in tandem with the modified natural materials, the existing objects (stones) are given new meaning to create an opportunity for a renewed engagement with nature and highlight the common act of collecting stones.

Kiera O'Toole

Kiera O'Toole is an artist and a PhD doctoral researcher at Loughborough University UK. O’Toole’s practice and research examines site-responsive drawing in the environment. This is released both inside and outside the gallery space: site-specific drawing, public art, digital media, installation and sculpture. Recent exhibitions include ARTWORKS 2020, VISUAL Carlow, Carlow Arts Festival, Highlanes Gallery 2020, Beyond Drawing curated by Arno Kramer, Ballina Arts Centre, West Cork Arts Centre 2020. Upcoming exhibitions include CCA Derry, The Drawing Box, Mumbai and Walking Keshcorran’ which is a residency with Tommy Weir. Recent residences include Project Anywhere which is a global bind peer-reviewed exhibition, conference and is led by the University of Melbourne and Parsons School of Art, NY. O’Toole also publishes including contributing book chapters; ‘Drawing from the Non-Place’ published by Cambridge Scholars in 2020 and a book chapter ‘Project Anywhere Biennial IV’, 2021 published by University of Melbourne. Kiera is a co-founder of Drawing deCentered which is professional artist-led collective that explores contemporary drawing practice in Ireland.

Past Residencies