This work scrutinises the Catholic Church’s use of decadent imagery/ornamentation as it goes through a major identity crisis caused by Catholics’ divided opinions on its ecclesiastical policies and practices.

Dismantling and distorting Catholic imagery, particularly through acts of protest that reflect my experience of the Catholic Church, was key to making this piece. It conveys how, at first glance, the Catholic Church appears to be a flawless and harmonious institution, but when you take a closer look, you can see the cracks.

Breaking the Patterns (Exhibition of Emerging Irish and European Artists)
Launched by Capacity Ireland
Curated by Róisín Foley
The Cowshed Gallery, Farmleigh Estate, Dublin
22 February–2 March 2025

Breaking the Patterns (Vol. 1)
Launched by Capacity Ireland and Third Sector International (3Si)
Curated by Emily Lannin and Liam Smith
LAB Sevilla (Centro Cultural), Seville
03–10 April 2024

In 2024, I spent three months in Seville working as a graphic design intern and artist-in-residence, courtesy of Capacity Ireland and a new program for emerging artists/creatives called Breaking the Patterns. I was part of the first batch of Irish artists to take part in the program, six in total, and we exhibited our work along with six local artists at the end of our residency. In 2025, the artwork I created during my residency, “Catholic Crisis”, was displayed again as part of Breaking the Patterns' first exhibition in Ireland: a celebration of the program's successful first year.

All artworks created as part of the program were inspired by our interpretations of the theme “Breaking the Patterns” and aspects of the cities we were working in. The physical art piece I created (having made a conscious effort to work in any medium apart from graphic design) was inspired by the breakdown of the Catholic Church's identity and Seville's strong cultural connection to that religious institution.

Many thanks to Phi Convey, creative producer at Capacity Ireland and art mentor to participants in the Breaking the Patterns program, for all her support.

On 18 December 2023, the Vatican officially approved blessings for couples in “irregular situations”, including same-sex couples. The divided reactions of Catholics to this decision were the starting point for my exhibition piece, as they exemplify the breakdown of the Catholic Church’s identity, split between its progressive and conservative sides with the constant threat of a “schism” hanging in the air. 

Taking my art mentor’s advice on researching the significance of Catholicism in Seville, I visited the Basílica de la Macarena, a Catholic temple that houses a beloved statue of the Virgin Mary known as the Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena (Virgin of Hope of Macarena), and a museum dedicated to the Hermandad de la Macarena (Brotherhood of Macarena), a 400-year-old Catholic order that plays an important role in Seville's famous Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations.

On entering the Basílica, I was overwhelmed by the amount of ornamentation and didn't know where to look first. Even its star attraction was surrounded by it in a way that (to me) felt ostentatious. The artefacts in the museum were also elaborately decorated; I was particularly taken with the intricate embroidery work on the flags and tapestries, which inspired me to incorporate embroidery into my art piece.

The same week I went to visit the Basílica/Museo de la Macarena, I learned about the controversy surrounding Seville's Semana Santa 2024 poster. On the surface, conservative Catholics’ reaction to it appeared to be driven by homophobia. However, on discussing it alongside my research from the Basílica/Museo de la Macarena with my art mentor, we concluded that the underlying reason for the reaction was the lack of ornamentation that the Catholic Church is known for.

Stripped of the kind of elaborate decoration that surrounds the Virgin of Hope of Macarena and dazzles the viewer, reminding them that this is a figure of a higher power worthy of worship, the figure of Christ in the poster looked like an ordinary man. This, in turn, allowed viewers to project their thoughts and feelings onto him.

In this context, it’s clear that ornamentation is a key part of the Catholic Church’s maintenance of its identity (and therefore power). When it’s taken away, the identity crisis within the Church becomes apparent. 

Having decided to try pursuing embroidery for my exhibition piece, I searched for artists whose work could inspire it and came across American artist Lisa Kokin's series “How The West Was Sewn”. This body of work consisted of sculptures and tapestries made out of discarded pulp cowboy novels, acting as a commentary on the prevalence of guns and violence in the USA. 

I was drawn to these artworks because they look beautiful from afar, but upon taking a closer look, the ugliness becomes clear. Inspired by this concept, I decided to create an ornamental piece that would look dazzling from afar, but on closer inspection would allow the viewer(s) to see the cracks in the Catholic Church’s identity. 

I began by experimenting with embroidery on religious images, specifically holy cards that can be bought/traded in Seville's markets. I used a gaudy, flimsy type of yarn to allude to both the ostentatiousness of the Catholic Church and its struggle to hold onto its identity and power as it splits into factions. My art mentor suggested that I experiment with other ways of dismantling or distorting the holy cards and research acts of protest committed against the Catholic Church for inspiration. 

Once I had built up a collection of dismantled/distorted holy cards, I needed to figure out how to assemble them for my exhibition piece. My art mentor suggested taking inspiration from the embroidered garments I saw at the Basílica/Museo de la Macarena and stitching them onto a garment, e.g. a cloak, in a decorative way.

Taking her advice, I bought some scrap satin fabric and embroidered spare holy cards onto it. I found that the most suitable stitch to use was the French knot: neat, secure and quick to do. I also found that this stitch was easier to do with plain red embroidery thread instead of the sparkly red yarn that I had been using initially. I then tried creating a “feathered” effect with multiple cards (a technique suggested by my art mentor) by overlapping them slightly as I embroidered them onto the fabric. 

However, I realised that I had a problem; I didn’t have the necessary resources (sewing machine), time or skill to sew a garment as my art mentor had suggested. Therefore, I decided to buy one instead: an (inexpensive) flamenco shawl in a bold red colour that reminded me of the controversial Semana Santa 2024 poster.

The week before the exhibition was due to open, when I was supposed to make the final piece, happened to be Semana Santa. Seeing the celebrations happening all around Seville, I spiralled into a major panic over the potential reaction to my work.

It was only after getting assurances from my art mentor and program coordinator that they fully supported my work and if they thought it would be too controversial, they would have already told me so and steered me in a different direction, that I was able to calm down enough to start making the piece. I finished it on Good Friday.

I did have to make some adjustments to the final layout, including the amount and placement of the holy cards, the amount and placement of the embroidery stitches and the appearance of the hanger’s hook (wrapped in red embroidery thread). In the end, though, I was happy with how the piece turned out and pleasantly surprised by the positive reaction to it from attendees at the exhibition's opening night.