A new work balancing between surrealism and hyper-realism by Sadhbh Mowlds, that considers human consciousness and society’s effects on it will show in the RHA Corner Gallery.

What is a tool? Oxford Dictionary defines it as “a device or implement, especially one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function”. By this definition, the majority of our daily lives are assisted by some form of tool or another. This excessive tool usage has defined our species as the most highly developed on the planet, accelerating our evolution in many aspects. However, have we gone too far? This work considers our disproportionate dependence on tools, particularly the smartphone, and its aid in the intellectual domination, societal collapse and potential de-evolution of homo sapiens.

Living comfortably within our pockets is one of the most powerful tools of our time. The smartphone, born from our demand of convenience, has become a staple in our day-to-day lives, seemingly impossible to live without. While most of us become glued to the screen, ready and willing to consume, the sinister few see an opportunity in our addiction. It is within this addiction that the smartphone becomes a weapon of mass destruction.

Social media influence via smartphones is becoming increasingly dangerous, often used to dictate our consciousness while keeping us informed, entertained and reliant. In a world where “influencer” is a career choice, we willingly relinquish our agency and become obsessed with how we are perceived. Constantly exposed to artificial beauty standards, extreme political ideologies and absurd societal trends, we tend to live a life of radical comparison and performance. Research indicates that this is causing an epidemic of mental illnesses, most notable among younger generations, and creating a population of docile subjects who lack meaningful relationships.

Monetising on this global, emotional tension, large corporations pave the way for this hyper-superficial existence as they keep constant surveillance over us via data collection. This data is then capitalised upon, turned into highly specified content, and fed back to us to fulfil their strategic agendas.

As with our unfortunate cousin, the chimpanzee, we become controlled and objectified – a commodity to be used as data, test subjects and zoo animals. Indoctrinated, we voluntarily give ourselves up, becoming a tool in the hand of our own undoing.

Sadhbh Mowlds is a Dublin based visual artist with a background in glass making that regularly informs her practice. Often drawing from experiences of her internal and external environments, she creates work that considers human consciousness, and society’s effects on it. Balancing between surrealism and hyper-realism, Mowlds works in a variety of materials, most notably silicone, hair and glass, to create body-centric sculptures and installations.

Mowlds received her bachelor from the National College of Art and Design, Ireland, in 2014 and spent the following five years in Germany. There, she worked as a glassblower and instructor for Berlin Glassworks. In 2022, she received her Master of Fine Art from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA. Following this, she worked on Murano, Venice, as a mould-maker with Berengo Studio and has now settled back in Ireland, where she is currently a studio resident in the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin.

Mowlds’ recent residencies include STARworks (NC, USA, 2023) and WheatonArts (NJ, USA, 2023). She has participated in numerous international exhibitions, regularly showing throughout Europe and the USA. Selected awards include the R.C Lewis-Crosby Award – RDS Visual Arts Awards, Arts Council Agility Award and the Saxe Emerging Artist Award. Her work is included in the permanent collections of Kunstsammlungen der Coburg, Germany and the Museum of American Glass, NJ, USA.

#ToBeUsed  www.sadhbhmowlds.com  Instagram: @sadhbh.mowlds