Méabh Breathnach uses ceramics, metal and the body as materials, tools, and sources of inspiration in the creation of both sculptural and functional objects. Their work often takes the form of installations that explore the objects and materials we surround ourselves with and the acts we habitually perform. They are interested in how we interact with and through these objects, the ways they cause us to think and to feel, and how they ultimately connect us to one another and to society as a whole. These immersive installations of evocative and affective objects strive to engage the head, hands and heart in both their creation and consideration.
In Bodies of Work (in progress) catch a glimpse into the artist’s studio as they work. A collection of brass tools Breathnach has been making will be visible in the space, used in the creation of new works in ceramics and added to over the period of the exhibition. These tools contain casts of, or impressions from, the artist’s and members of Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop’s community’s bodies. They’ve been inspired by the ways in which Breathnach engages with their own body, tools and materials while making, as well as conversations and interactions they’ve had with others along the way. While each tool speaks to a specific instance of engagement or use, the series reflects upon communal spaces of creativity like ESW, where things are shared and constantly changing hands, and many bodies and minds are inextricably contributing to everyone’s experience and making process.
Méabh Breathnach
Breathnach (b. 1996, Ireland) graduated from the Sculpture and Environmental Art department at the Glasgow School of Art, in 2019, and a masters in Ceramics at Konstfack University of the Arts, Craft and Design in Stockholm, in 2025. They have exhibited in Glasgow’s Pollok House, House for an Art Lover and in the Royal Scottish Academy’s New Contemporaries exhibition. They have been awarded the Sir William Gillies Bequest (RSA), Creative Scotland’s Visual Artist and Craft Makers Award, and the Young Scot Nurturing Young Talent Fund.
Méabh Breathnach has been supported by the Hope Scott Trust for this project.