ABOUT

Sandra Corrigan Breathnach is an Interdisciplinary artist and curator working mainly in Performance Art, her practice includes elements of Sculpture, Drawing, Photography, Video and Sound.

Collaborative works: S-A-O-L – | with artists Deej Fabyc and Julieann O’Malley | Live Art Ireland | Tipperary | 2025. MarginalMan 23 | Subterranean | Tokyo | 2024, with Daisuke Takeya, Paul Couillard, Shu Ming Su, this collaborative performance incorporated video works by Graciela Overjoro Postigo, Kelvin Shine and Nonthawat Machai (who due to unforeseen circumstances, were unable to participate in person). Seven a collaborative piece with Keike Twisselmann | Catalyst Arts | Belfast | 2023. Collaborative work with artist Alastair MacLennan, began in 2017, culminating in their 2018 Performance Installation exhibition, Breath And Blood | Burren College Gallery | Co. Clare, the exhibition included live performance, drawings, video, sound works and sculpture, another notable work was their 8 hour collaborative performance Flux In Flow | The Golden Thread Gallery | Belfast | 2019, noted by Aidan Dunne as one of the ‘Five best art exhibitions to see this week’ in the Irish Times. Sentient | Sarah Walker Gallery | Cork | 2022. Pollenate with Artist James King in 2016 in the Void Gallery Derry, a combination of live performance, video, animation, photography and sound works.

In 2019 she initiated and Curated Somatic Distortion a Performance Art event, which she developed with Sean O’Reilly from the Leitrim Sculpture Centre and Brendan Murray from The Glens Arts Centre, which included live works, together with an exhibition of performance prints, a performance art time-line and notable video works from Bruce Nauman, Meredith Monk, Stuart Brisley, André Stitt, Kim Gurney and Nigel Rolfe who Corrigan-Breathnach invited to open same.

Corrigan-Breathnach was selected as Co-Chairperson of the performance art organisation Bbeyond Belfast in 2020 and in 2022 she was selected for the role of Project Manager following the dual role of Co-chair and acting Project Manager from 2021, in both roles Corrigan- Breathnach implemented and overseen many Bbeyond projects such as, (CO.AN) KOAN a Bbeyond event in collaboration with Ulster University which included a live performance by Alastair MacLennan, a lecture by André Stitt and an exhibition / installation in which Corrigan-Breathnach chose objects from both MacLennan’s life and practice. (CO.AN) KOAN was curated by Corrigan-Breathnach and co-organised with Dr. Chérie Driver, to celebrate Alastair MacLennan’s 80th Birthday (2023).

In 2022 Corrigan-Breathnach initiated and curated ONE-BODY a Bbeyond performance with 12 artists, held in the Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda, she also initiated and Curated Process X 5 in 2022, a Bbeyond Performance Art Workshop giving an insight into the processes of five lead artists which included Corrigan-Breathnach. She also managed the Bbeyond 20th Anniversary events at the MAC which were co-organised with Brian Patterson and Alastair MacLennan. Corrigan-Breathnach hosted the international conference in the MAC as part of same. Corrigan-Breathnach initiated and organised R-A-W (Recorded Action Web Exhibition) 2021, a Bbeyond online Performance Art Video Exhibition. Corrigan-Breathnach decided to leave this role in April 2023 to fully focus on her practice having finished building a new studio.

Corrigan-Breathnach’s work has been exhibited and published both nationally and internationally. Corrigan-Breathnach has received funding from the Arts Council of Ireland, she received the Artist Agility Award 2021 and her practice has been funded by Culture Ireland. She was chosen as lead artist by the Leitrim Sculpture Centre as part of the Performing North Creative Counties (Creative Ireland) project 2019. Corrigan-Breathnach was chosen for the Leitrim County Council Arts Office Small Sparks 2021 Arts & Business project and went on to be the selected artist for the Sparks Arts & Business Residency 2022 in which she organised the event Connect, which included a group performance, sound installation and solo exhibition in the Leitrim Sculpture Centre Main Street Space.

Sandra Corrigan Breathnach, PN Series, Untitled Four

IMAGE | SANDRA CORRIGAN BREATHNACH | ‘UNTITLED FOUR’ PN SERIES | 2015

STATEMENT

The fundamental core of my practice deals with states of phenomenological expression and connectivity of the physical and meta-physical. Through this expression and connection my life is given meaning, it is the search for meaning within my life, that has brought my work to its current manifestation. Performance Art allows me to enter an existential plain, where the vein of an innate knowledge as Beings in this world is explored through both live and photographic mediums, culminating in a lexicon of works that seek to communicate, focusing on the narrative between objects and action, with live works incorporating vibrations of sound and energy, developing forms through performance actions and mark making.

The Sculptural forms of my practice are informed by elements within or by being part of a performance. The vein of thoughts threaded through my work bind into formed structure, a partial disclosure, a manifestation of the personal. Intent on transcending ego my work lifts me to a heightened state of communication exploring natural materials as means of expression to connect and open discourse.