Kayleigh Dodd exhibits ‘Good Grief’ at People’s Museum of Limerick up to March 24th

The work of Kayleigh Dodd is on show as part of the Limerick Civic Trust Print Exhibition Award

The emotional and symbolic Kayleigh Dodd exhibition, ‘Good Grief’ is on display at People’s Museum of Limerick up to Monday, March 24

Kayleigh Dodd’s ‘Good Grief’ explores the aftermath of sexual assault through the emotional and symbolic significance of everyday objects. Drawing on Julia Kristeva’s concept of abjection, her work presents a deeply personal perspective on the enduring effects of trauma.

Kayleigh’s work is on show as part of the Limerick Civic Trust Print Exhibition Award and explores the emotional weight of objects, transforming them into vessels of grief, healing and meaning through photography and handwritten narratives.

Her practice investigates the complexities of recovery, amplifying voices that are often unheard. By engaging with both her own experiences and those of others, she aims to dismantle the silence surrounding sexual violence, fostering connection, visibility and understanding.

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Speaking about her work, Kayleigh said, “ Good Grief was made as a literal contradiction to the way in which I felt when I first came to terms with the fact I was raped- extreme self-shame and guilt. And in the hopes that for anyone who views the work and feels how I once felt- will find the courage to reach out and seek help. Because of the shame associated with SA, it took me four years to open up to somebody about it and so I suffered in silence, prolonging my healing journey. The stigma surrounding rape culture and SA often forces those affected into silence, prolonging their suffering and stalling their healing journey.”

“I tried to sweep everything under the rug and get on with life but it comes creeping back no matter how hard you try to push it aside. My mental health suffered severely and I was left with no option but to defer college for 2 years. I knew that with that being the reason I left, that that would be the reason I returned and channeled that pain into what I focused my work on. I used my trauma as my motivation. And that was a big element to the work- I wanted to give voice to the often unheard voices and untold stories. My work emerged as a means to combat this silence and reclaim our voices.”

Kayleigh Dodd is a visual artist and printmaker based in Wicklow. A 2024 graduate of Limerick School of Art and Design with a BA Hons in Printmaking and Contemporary Practice, her work includes printmaking, installation, and contemporary art, often exploring themes of memory and the human experience.

Her practice is research-driven and deeply connected to conceptual ideas, with each project unfolding through meaningful narratives.

She is honoured to have re-exhibited Good Grief at the Limerick Civic Trust Inaugural Print Exhibition Award, a work that was also longlisted for the RDS Visual Artist Award.

Speaking about the exhibition, Limerick activist Natasha O’Brien said it is “beyond important” to her to “share her invaluable work”.

Natasha said, “Sometimes no amount of words will ever be enough to truly describe the toll that trauma takes. It is so incredibly difficult to verbalize the aftermath of trauma, grief & healing. Yet through her art, Kayleigh seamlessly communicates something so deeply complex. Kayleigh’s work is deeply healing, validating and empowering for survivors of sexual violence and gender-based violence (myself included), as well as providing such a raw insight into the complexities of trauma & healing through art!”

Speaking about her own experience, Natasha explains she is able to “verbalise” her own experience, acknowledging “that’s not for everyone”.

She said, “We are all very different and we all cope with our trauma so differently. So that’s why I think Kayleigh’s work is such a critical element in supporting our society to explore difficult emotions and experiences, in creative and innovative ways! We don’t always need to talk, we can express ourselves in so many ways, from singing and dancing to writing and photography and art!

“I’m so incredibly inspired by how Kayleigh has taken such a delicate and deeply personal experience, that can be really difficult to explain, and has been able to do vividly depict the challenging reality of sexual violence and healing!”