Amanda Dunsmore works in art processes that explore representations of societal transformation, utilizing durational artist engagement with individuals, groups, and associated social and political structures. The resultant artworks are undertaken after in-depth research, using video, sound, text, photography, installation, and drawing to create contextual portraits. These include a series of extensive social-political-historical art projects, archives, and exhibition series. Central to Dunsmore's art practice is an exploration of the long-term implications of socio-political art-making and the legacy of visual parity in portraiture.
Over 2025, Amanda Dunsmore will be based at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), as part of IMMA's 'Dwell Here' artist studio residency program.
Invited by the Fingal County Council Arts Office, Dunsmore is researching for the Democracy and Politics commission, exploring the history and legacy of local government in Fingal. Her research includes conversations with local archivists, historians, and councillors.
Currently showing at the National Gallery of Ireland, the video portrait of Dr Lydia Foy, the Irish transgender activist, was the winner of the AIB Portrait Prize and will be on display until March 2025.
Amanda Dunsmore has exhibited extensively, and her artworks are held in national and international collections. Significant projects include the KEEPER archive (1997–ongoing), initiated while she was Artist-in-Residence at The Maze/Long Kesh prison in Northern Ireland, and the Ireland/UK LGBTQI+ project BECOMING CHRISTINE.
Amanda Dunsmore is represented by ACC Galerie, Germany, for the major public artwork PLAN, and she collaborates through public art commissions with the social practice organisation/gallery KunstRaum xtd in Linz, Austria. She lives in Ireland and is a Lecturer in Fine Art at the Limerick School of Art and Design, TUS, Ireland.
Contact: hello@amandadunsmore.com
Using time-based media, Dunsmore’s work punctuates how there is no shortcut to fully grasping the complex social ruptures left in the wake of colonialism, and how time, relationships, and sustained attention are key ingredients in building trust and understanding in service of positive change. MAG, Edmonton, Canada, 2024.