Exhibited at the NCAD Degree show and the Royal Academy of Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, and more, LIMITLESS is an installation by Irish visual artist Aoife Dunne, “allowing the viewer to enter the digital world”.
We were curious to find out a little more about the immersive exhibition. Tara Stewart chats with Aoife below.
So tell us about your latest installation piece LIMITLESS, how did it all come together and what inspired you to create it?
LIMITLESS is largely focused on my preoccupation with perfection. Throughout my four years in college I was constantly dissatisfied with everything I was accomplishing in my studio work and personal life – I was chasing after something that was ultimately unattainable.
I decided to take this negative energy and make it into work which then inspired the makings of LIMITLESS. In this piece I made a video game and recreated the 2D game environment in the physical allowing the viewer to enter the digital world.
LIMITLESS explores the desire to continuously recreate oneself in a never-ending cycle of self-construction driven by self-critique.
Is there a theme behind your work that you always like to incorporate?
I am interested in the relationship between costume and identity and the creation of large-scale, interactive environments. I use costume in video and performance to express/hide identity and experiment with the creation of alter-egos.
I like to move between physical and digital worlds presenting my work with deliberate childlike playfulness and absurdity.
What is it like working as the Art Director for Superhero Mag?
Being the Art Director of Superhero Mag is a lot of fun, I work from my studio here in Dublin, constantly in contact with the Editor Zai Najera in Mexico and Fashion Editor Hannah Lee Grunden in London.
We are currently working on a collaboration with Adidas which I am really looking forward to, we also have our first ever print issue coming out this winter which is going to be sick, I’m excited!
What is your creative background?
Before studying Fine Art I had no prior art training at all, it was an extremely spontaneous decision for me but undoubtedly the best decision I could have made.
My background was in dance and music, I spent most of my childhood working as a dancer and performer for different shows and theatre companies and slowly became more focused on writing, playing music and cinematography. In 2008 a short film I produced was selected to be shown at the Beijing Film Festival and later that same year I released my first online magazine which sparked my interest in coding and web design.
In 2012 I started styling which blew up really quickly for me – I began working with some very talented people, brands and publications all within my first two years in the industry. I feel studying Fine Art allowed me to incorporate all of my interests and push my creative limits.
And finally what’s the plan for 2017?
2017 is going to be crazy, but I am so very excited! At the minute I am working on two separate shows for the Royal Academy of Arts in London – one in June and the other in August. I am also currently working on a sweet collaborative project which will be announced late April and on top of all that I am putting on a big solo show in New York and here in Dublin! All of my dates and info can be found on my website.
