Rachel Botha (The Douglas Hyde Gallery / Catalyst Arts / Independent)
My curatorial practice responds to the local context and investigates how people perceive their social framework.
I hold a BA in History of Art & Architecture from Trinity College Dublin, and a Master’s degree in Visual Culture & Critical Studies from Technological University Dublin. I was the recipient of ArtLink’s Emerging Artist Award Bursary (2019, 2020), and the Moth Residency Award from Kilkenny Arts Office (2018). I have written for the Visual Artists’ News Sheet, CIRCA Art Magazine and various publications. I have most recently worked in arts organisations such as Poetry Ireland and Fire Station Artists’ Studios, as well as at the Venice Biennale (2019) and Galería Alarcón Criado, Seville (2018). I am a co-director of Catalyst Arts Belfast and the Emerging Curator in Residence at the Kilkenny Arts Office.
At present I am the Provost’s Curatorial Fellow at the Douglas Hyde Gallery in Trinity College Dublin. This fellowship entails hands-on work experience, self-directed research and mentorship. The Fellowship fosters new generations of arts professionals by giving practical experience of working within one of Ireland’s leading contemporary art spaces.
Curator’s Areas of Interest:
– I am drawn to work that is experimental and pushes the boundaries of disciplines and mediums.
– Work that is politically and socially engaged.
– The poetic can be powerful, work that exemplifies this.
– Exciting, that there may be potential to think big and see what is achievable.
– An art practice that can be collaborative and allows for interdependent working. between artist and curator.