Cosmic Wetness
Cosmic Wetness, a solo exhibition at the Royal Hibernian Academy Dublin, August - October 2023
This exhibition evokes all of the senses – the suppleness of glass and marshmallow, the prickly surface of sugary sweets, or the stickiness of masking tape. The visual languages of glass and mixed media unite to create an immersive experience for visitors to this exhibition.
Donnellan’s work is queer, feminist (intersectional), playful, sex-positive, tongue-in-cheek and pro-radical craft. Audre Lorde’s essay “Uses of The Erotic; The Erotic as Power” and “Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good” by adrienne maree brown are long-standing influences on their practice.
Donnellan’s work functions as a response to the kyriarchal attempt to separate bodies from spirit, sexuality from divinity, and distort sacred Truths. In feminist theory, kyriarchy is a social system or set of connecting social systems built around domination, oppression, and submission.
Donnellan asserts that much of the research and practices that are dismissed as "pseudo-science" are deeply connected to ancient and indigenous knowledge. Their work embraces healing technologies, free energy and accessible resources that cannot be patented. Universal geometry and mineral specimens, for example, are used as a way to embed subtle energy in the work and connect us to a theory of everything.
