Leanne McDonagh: Community & Connection

A practice of presence

Leanne McDonagh's first major survey opens at Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, County Cork, running from 18 July to 12 September 2026. Organised with curator Miguel Amado, the exhibition brings together a newly commissioned body of screenprints alongside photographs made since 2011, offering a sustained reflection on identity, belonging and representation.

McDonagh belongs to the Traveler community, recognised as an ethnic minority by the Irish state and long marginalised by the settled majority. Her work responds directly to stereotypical portrayals, choosing instead to document everyday life from within. "If somebody else is showing what it is to look like a Traveler, I am showing what it is to feel like a Traveler," she says.

Blurred boundaries, shared truths

Working with photography's supposed immediacy, McDonagh subverts expectation through slow exposure, allowing figures to dissolve into their surroundings. The resulting softness does not obscure; it invites. Early works such as Mischievous Play (2011) already hint at this approach, where bodies and spaces collapse into one another, held together by trust rather than spectacle.

A pivotal piece, Pavee Presence (2020), was captured at a horse fair — a traditional gathering space for Travelers. Neon flashes and hazy luminosity lend the scene an almost ethereal glow, conveying confidence rather than hardship. The title draws from the community's own language, where pavee means traveller.

Layers of culture and crisis

Series like Reminiscence (2014–15) explore both distinct customs and universal social bonds. In Accommodate vs Assimilate (2016–17), McDonagh turns her lens to the housing crisis affecting Traveler communities, revealing resilience amid inadequate living conditions. Each frame carries narrative weight without sacrificing dignity.

Following a residency at Cork Printmakers in 2022, McDonagh returned to screenprinting, producing the titular series Community & Connection (2026). These works layer images across time and context, enhancing tonality while suggesting how knowledge passes between generations. One standout, Tinkering with Tradition, shows her father practising tinsmithing — a craft handed down through families.

Glimmers over triggers

McDonagh frames her practice around the idea of "glimmers" — moments of safety and connection that counter inherited trauma. "We may not remember exactly what somebody said to us in a particular setting," she reflects, "but we remember how they made us feel. That is what I want my images to put across."

The touring exhibition — which will also visit Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre and Limerick City Gallery of Art — is produced by Rayne Booth and supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.

Institutional context

Sirius Arts Centre programmes across visual, performing and digital art forms, prioritising artist-driven and community-engaged projects. Its support for McDonagh's work continues a commitment to socially conscious programming rooted in dialogue and collaboration.