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About This Work
Fighte Fuaighte (pronounced FEE-cha FOO-i-cha) is an old Irish phrase that loosely translates as “woven together” or “everything is interconnected”. In this painting I’m taking that idea as both a conceptual and a structural starting point. Using a typographic system I developed, I weave and layer the words of the phrase until they can no longer be read, they form a tapestry in their own right.
Even though this work originated from Irish language, I deliberately chose colours that remind me of the Australian landscape (the vast sky, ochre earth, coastal blues and dry vegetation). I wanted to see these two worlds linked together, colour inspired by where I now live, and language as a tether to where I come from. Even though I’ve been living away from home for so long, I still feel completely connected to Ireland, and the concept of fighte fuaighte is an important one for me. I believe that existence is collective, and that we all belong to something much bigger than ourselves.