Muireann Keogh
she/her
Nothing to Show
This work explores the crisis of creative identity: what remains when years of making are stripped back and the uncomfortable question surfaces — do I even have a creative identity, or did I simply learn to imitate one?
A labyrinth forms the central structure, unrelenting and unforgiving. At its centre sits a recreated studio space: a desk, a mess of making and trying. These are not remnants; this is all I have. The work confronts a cycle of creating without conviction, overcoming the desire for impressiveness over meaning and praise over purpose. It reflects on my own distinction between knowing how to teach art and truly being an artist.
Nothing to Show does not offer resolution. Instead, it asks viewers to sit with uncertainty and consider what it truly means to call yourself an artist, and whether that title must be earned or simply claimed.
Installation view, Nothing to Show, MDF, rough cut timber, 3.5 x 3.5 x 2.44 m, NCAD Works 2026.
Installation view, Nothing to Show, MDF, rough cut timber, 3.5 x 3.5 x 2.44 m, NCAD Works 2026.
Installation view, Nothing to Show, desk, chair, locker, calendar, collages, drawings and objects, NCAD Works 2026.
Installation view, Nothing to Show, desk, chair, locker, drawings, calendar and objects, NCAD Works 2026.
Installation view, Nothing to Show, desk, chair, locker, collages and objects, NCAD Works 2026.
Teaching Placements
Ballymakenny College, Drogheda, County Louth
St Oliver's Community College, Drogheda, Co.Louth
Trinity Comprehensive, Ballymun, Dublin 9