Deeply influenced by a migrant childhood moving between different continents; journeys, ideas of home and questions of how to site identity and situate belonging, continue to underpin much of Katriona Beales’ work. Currently working with 2D and 3D collage, Katriona uses the process of bringing together disparate and initially unrelated elements, and weaving them into one, to mirror visual collisions present in globalised spaces.

Katriona has become increasingly interested in the issue of the ‘subject’ in the public eye, and notions of consumption, privacy, vulnerability and exploitation. The cult of celebrity in various forms has been around
for millennia, however, the Internet provides a global platform for everyone who wants one. New media feed
our insatiable appetite for personal miscellany with constant streams of new revelations at ever accelerating rates. In this information-saturated world, private thoughts can become public headlines overnight, and instantaneous modes of communication can spread local rumours globally. Within the medium of collage Katriona has been examining masks and mask wearing as an attempt to restore a sense of mystery, and explore the importance of the unknown and unfamiliar as a space for the imagination. Seeking a critical engagement with the zeitgeist, the artist proposes hiddenness as necessity; a survival tactic; and even something empowering that can reverse power structures. Suddenly the subject can watch you without being seen.

Katriona’s work poses the question: How much should I give away? And how much should you?

Katriona Beales is a visual artist currently based at
the Bluecoat.

www.katrionabeales.com