Mary-Jo Gilligan is based in Kilkenny, Ireland where she works through art and pedagogy independently and collaboratively. Work manifests in workshops, facilitation, live events, performance, installations, publishing and exhibitions.
Typically site specific and participatory, Gilligan's practice is deeply influenced by interests in public art, social sculpture, somatic practice and relational processes. The encounters and situations that are kindled for each audience explore how we relate to environments, bodies, architecture, our inner worlds and each other.
Gilligan's practice is increasingly rooted in creating experiences that empower participants to make and reflect collectively. This strand of practice manifests in projects such as Soft Blonde Moustache's 'Things We Wish We Learned in School' programme 2026 with South Dublin County Council, curated by Superprojects and funded by the Arts Council; the 2024-2025 Space Crafts programme in collaboration with artists Aileen Murphy, Julia Mac Conville and physicist Sadhbh Leahy of DIAS, supported by Super Projects and Fingal CoCo Arts Office at Dunsink Observatory; 2023-2024 collaborative Woodstock Artist Residency with Mark Durkan supported by Creative Places Athy; and collaborating with VISUAL Carlow Learning programme since 2022 on workshops such as the weekly gathering Have A Gawk.
Gilligan's artworks has been commissioned by RGKSKSRG, Portlaoise County Council, Out Of Site, Culturstruction and Dublin City Council. She has been awarded residencies with Art@Work Roscommon County Council, ID11 Netherlands, The Performance Corporation, VOID, Fís, Greenstar and a studio at the Irish Museum of Modern Art 2012/2013. Exhibitions and events include solo show Fathom and Span, Broadcast Gallery, DIT 2014, This Listening Field for Foaming at the Mouth, Phoenix Park, Dublin 2015, The Gathering Gates, for To Follow the Water, Grand Canal Docks, Dublin 2016 and Pyramid Paths, AUT, New Zealand 2017. Gilligan has collaborated with art collective Soft Blonde Moustache since 2007 and together they have exhibited in spaces such as Kevin Kavanagh gallery, TBG+S and the Royal Irish Academy. Previous collaborations include improvised singing group KWYER performing at TBG+S and Junction Festival and ‘The Sound of Us’ Nordic LARP programmed in Larporatory, Vilnius and Talinn Larp Festival, Estonia.
Gilligan is founder of the architectural research body Dublin City Agency for the Sensory Investigation of Constructed Space and has also co-curated site-specific projects with Parking Meter Arts (Transitopia) and The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, (Preponderance of the Small).
mary.j.gilligan@gmail.com