Michelle Moloney King is a multidisciplinary artist, visual poet and book designer at Beir Bua Press, living in Co. Tipperary, Ireland with her husband, Richie, small son, Dylan. She has an undergrad in computer science from the University of Limerick, a post-grad in education from Hibernia College. And is currently studying Design at Dundalk College. She is inspired by family life in flux, signifier and signified, the plurality of time, and the surreal absurdism of life, semantics and semiology. Published by Penteract Press, SurVision, Abridged Magazine, M58, 3 AM Magazine, Streetcake, Babel, Collections: Another Word For Mother with SurVision Books, 2022, Womxn Heatwave Mama by Beir Bua Press, 2021, and Shapes of Motherhood by Alien Buddha Press., 2021. She reviews for Beir Bua Press and writes about poetry here.

Portfolios

Essay, article, long form writing portfolio here.

Visual Art portfolio here. (To be updated)

Art Exhibitions

February 2023 – MTU Bishopstown Library, A Bale of Horses with Cork Textiles Network. Photography, cotton, acrylic. 210 x 297 mm.

January 2022 – Galway, 126 Gallery with A Prying of Prayers, a copper and cotton woven vessel.

Dec 2021 – Cork Textiles Network at the MTU Cork School of Music with a copper and wool tapestry – An Ash of Bodies.

Work in permanent collections

MTU Cork School of Music with a copper and wool tapestry – An Ash of Bodies.

Artist Statement

I’ve never been the best at précis…as an artist, I am constantly exploring the intersections between Irish heritage and the visual arts. Despite being seemingly disparate fields, heritage and art share a common ground in their focus on visual culture, material history, and the ways objects can speak to larger issues such as aesthetics, identity, and social relationships. Both disciplines are shaped by discourse and engage with the complexities of Irish female representation, Hiberno-English language and Colonisation. I am particularly interested in how these shared concerns can be used to challenge and subvert traditional notions of historical time and place, and in the ways in which both heritage and the visual arts can be viewed as performative acts. I am drawn to acts of deconstructing language and reconstructing poetry objects from fibre & copper weaving and label it Irish “indigenous” tapestry art. I am intrigued to imagine it as art discovered in a bog field; blued and tarnished copper weaving with textile – a surrealist mythology. And begging questions of alternative Irish Art History. Essentially my art holds space for  intention to divorce meaning/attachment/ and the perceptions of the reader/viewer to dig up new meaning.

Prizes / Nominations / Professional Membership

Member of Cork Textiles Network.
Shortlisted for The James Tate Prize with Survision Press September 2021 .
Nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Dream Journal (USA) November 2020.
Member of Visual Artists Ireland.
Member of The Design and Crafts Council Ireland.
Member of South Tipp Women in Business.
Poets & Writers Directory.
Accepted for a place in an MA in Poetry, Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University. (unfortunately had to turn down the place due to it reverting to classroom-based and no longer accessible online.)
Received a place on Design & Crafts Council Ireland Get Set Programme 2021.

Workshops and Collaborations

Experimental Poetry Workshop for Poetry Ireland’s Poetry Night with South Tipperary Arts Centre.
Visual Poetry Workshop for Poetry Town with Carrick-on-Suir.
Experimental Poetry Workshop for Cashel Arts Festival as part of Culture Night.

Journal Publication from 2020 to currently

Published for word poetry, visual poetry, asemic poetry in Sparkling Tongue Press, Abridged Magazine, Asemics Magazine, The Storms Journal, 3 AM Magazine, M58 Magazine, Survision Magazine, Pamenar Press, Spillwords Press, Selcouth Station, Streetcake Magazine, Dream Journal, Artistic Differences Project, Mercurius, Babel Tower, The Cabinet Of Heed, The Indian Feminist Review (for cover art,) Coven Poetry, Overground Underground, Pandemic Journal, The Pi Review, amongst other journals. Collections out with Alien Budha Press, SurVision Books and Beir Bua Press. She has had poetry or poetic objects displayed at The Little Museum in Dublin, The Artisan Hub Carrick, and Cashel Arts Festival.

Video Poem made by Moloney King as part of Ó Bhéal’s Film Poem Competition 2021.

Links:

www.michellemoloneyking.com

www.BeirBuaPress.com

www.instagram.com/moloneyking

www.youtube.com/channel/UCdlyd1MKVthfnqJ__fW99Aw

www.Twitter.com/moloneyking

Quick access for background information for press queries: 2020 to currently

She has been featured in In Touch Magazine (an Irish mag for teachers,) Business Post, South Tipperary Arts Centre Podcast, The Irish Times, Pandemic Creativity – The Times, The Tipperary Star, The Nationalist (shared on Tipperary Live,), Poetry Ireland, The Limerick Leader, The Irish Journal, editor interview, The Irish Times for issue II of Beir Bua, six questions with – editor interview, Poetry Mini Interviews, Visual Artists Ireland for publication of Beir Bua, Steven J Fowler’s site, Poetry Ireland on Carrick’s Poetry Town W/S and The Nationalist. Culture Night 2021, and Cashel Arts Festival. Please note Beir Bua is listed on Duotrope, and more. school teacher, reviews for In Touch Magazine.

Follow along behind the scenes on: @MoloneyKing on Twitter @Moloney_King on insta, and Moloney King on Youtube for chats with other creatives.