Dervla O’Flaherty is a visual artist from Ireland. Her research into myth, place and the unknown continually informs series of multi-layered paintings through a deeply process-led practice. Dervla graduated from the National College of Art & Design (NCAD) in 2012 with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art Painting and completed postgraduate studies at Cyprus College of Art (CCA) in 2014.
Place and space are central themes of her practice. Dervla has undertaken projects in India, Iceland, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, Armenia, and Alaska, continuously returning to themes of ancient structures and landscape, mythology and folktales within her work. She was lucky to receive several residencies at Cill Rialaig artist retreat over the years, connecting themes of the Kerry landscape into her work.
She received a Culture Moves Europe grant in 2025 to research the megalithic temples in Malta to inform new painting series. She received the Ballinglen Arts Foundation Fellowship Award in 2025, appointed to the Bridge Guard Artist Residency in Hungary/Slovakia in 2026. Recent projects include a solo exhibition ‘Otherworld Trouble’ at Dillon Gallery, Cultúrlann in Belfast (2025); solo exhibition ‘Ancient Conversations’ at Cill Rialaig Arts Centre (2025). a residency at the Institute for Contemporary Art, Yerevan (ICA) in 2024; participation in group shows at Ardgillan Gallery, Hamilton Gallery, and Ranelagh Arts Centre in 2024.
Artist Statement
I’m driven by a deeply process-led practice, rooted in ongoing research into myth, place, the unknown, and the self. The work forms large overlapping mixed-media series with a strong emphasis on layering, both physically and conceptually.
Experimental physical process allow me to explore mythical, historical, and imaginary places through texture and form. Techniques like glazing, cutting, carving, and overlapping materials are central to my work.
Akin to poetry, certain types of art allow access to the unconscious. These paintings develop from an ongoing search for access points and entrances in myth and memory, which includes building a visual lexicon of maps, doorways, windows, wells and rabbit holes. Drawn to thresholds, cracks, and entrances, these expressive works reimagine architectural and natural forms into wild poetic terrains that invite viewers contemplate the allure and peril of venturing beyond the known into ‘the Otherworld’, whatever that concept may mean to the individual.