Nicola McClean
The Burden of the Ephemeral
This body of work deals with the dichotomies of life, the transient nature of existence and the constant state of flux in which we live our lives.
The work celebrates motherhood and life amidst the knowledge of death. These introspective pieces explore the female form and identity and have allowed me to investigate myself and the interplay between the brutality and beauty in the human condition.
They are nightmarish dreamscapes and act as powerful allegories for the disruptions and transformations that malign forces cause in our lives. Representing life’s battles, they emote the visceral experience of violence and upheaval felt on a human bodily level, due to endured personal tragedy and on a broader scale global policy, warfare, and systemic oppression.
They are the intersection of my personal and political views, providing insight into the ways in which external realities impact our inner lives and personal psyche. They grapple with the human condition, and explore existential questions.
Descent, 2024, Oil & Acrylic
Grief has no face, 2024, acrylic & oil on canvas, 50cm x 50cm
Velocity, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 25cm x 25cm
The Birth of a Dancing Star, 2024, acrylic & oil, 5 panels 40cm x 100cm (each)