Molly Erin McCarthy
Molly Erin McCarthy works with 3D and digital media to create mysterious worlds and cryptic artefacts that exist somewhere between fact and fiction. Manifesting across sculpture, installation, digital and interactive mediums, McCarthy’s practice explores themes of reality, progress and power, considering how we form, and are formed by, the physical and philosophical landscapes we reside in
Akin to contemporary myth-making, her practice utilises a method known as ‘forensic storytelling’, a fiction process used heavily in theme parks and video games, in which narrative is delivered through fragments and environmental clues. This creates an ‘in’ for her audience, enabling them to engage with critical thinking while also encouraging curiosity and a sense of agency.
The landscapes and histories of Cornwall are a core influence, combined with research into wide ranging topics such as technology, mythology, conspiracy, scientific study and philosophy. Through this amalgamation McCarthy relates the concerns of the region to more global contexts, while also converting a sense of anxious chaos - a reflection of how it feels to exist within an increasingly complex web of often intangible, and progressively unstable, systems.
McCarthy recently presented her first solo exhibition at The Zabludowicz Collection as part of their Invites Programme.
Notable exhibitions & commissions include: Invites (2023) solo presentation, The Zabludowicz Collection (2023). <<grotto-94>> (2022) solo presentation, Gallery333/Exeter Phoenix (2022). UNDERCUT (2022) group exhibition, Under. REMNANTS (2022), group exhibition, Cloud Shelter. Before The Linyow Came (2022), Give & Take Over Commission, MIRROR. Paradigms (2021), group exhibition, Look Again Aberdeen. Plymouth Contemporary (2021), group exhibition, The Arts Institute. PROJECT MECHA:HEART (2021), State of Emergency Commission, The Box.
