BA Grad Show 25th June 2026
Interrupted Knowledge
This exhibition brings together sculpture, linen, video and text to explore what has been lost, interrupted and reimagined through the suppression and loss of older ways of knowing in the north of Ireland.
Working with 6,000-year-old bog oak, Ogham and vernacular language and performance, the installation considers material as a living archive—where memory, ritual and imagination become ways of speaking back to dominant histories.
The works invite encounters between queer experience, ancestral memory and the land, proposing alternative narratives that remain present beneath the surface of contemporary life.
Working with 6,000-year-old bog oak, Ogham and vernacular language and performance, the installation considers material as a living archive—where memory, ritual and imagination become ways of speaking back to dominant histories.
The works invite encounters between queer experience, ancestral memory and the land, proposing alternative narratives that remain present beneath the surface of contemporary life.
Other Work
Alex McKay is an artist from the north of Ireland working across sculpture, installation, performance and text.
His practice explores older ways of knowing through land, language, ritual and inherited gesture. Drawing on Hiberno-English, Ogham, bog landscapes and family histories, McKay asks what has been lost, interrupted or overlooked within contemporary cultures.
Working with materials such as ancient wood, linen and found objects, his work sits between archaeology and invention, inviting audiences into encounters that are playful, sensory and reflective. His practice seeks points of connection between queer experience, ancestral memory, the land and the living world.
Through acts of making, storytelling and embodied ritual, McKay uses imagination as a means of entering into conversation with other cultures, worlds, times and dimensions—exploring the alternative narratives, possibilities and forms of knowledge they might offer. His work proposes that the future may emerge not only through innovation, but through renewed relationships with mystery, interdependence and exploration of the more-than-human world.
ALEX MCKAY: CV
awmck@hotmail.com | London, UK
Alex is a talented contemporary artist who plans and delivers exciting work in multiple mediums and locations. He brings a sense of play and a flexible attitude to a variety of different projects. A hardworking, organised, and professional creative. He is self-motivated to consistently provide first-class critically engaged work in line with stringent targets and deadlines.
EXPERIENCE:
| Group Show: Reflections; The Toy Projects Gallery Archway London; 24th Feb-1st March 2026. Group Show: Student Group Show; Art Academy London; Feb-May 2026 Art Academy London | Walworth Town Hall, London, UK: Art Foundation Graduation Show; 06/2020 - 07/2020 |
| · Video installation in disused Victorian Town Hall basement · Experience of working with unprecedented restrictions during the pandemic. · Delivering a high impact site specific work on time. |
| About Balance Gallery and Wellness Centre | Brighton, Sussex: Exhibition; 12/2019 - 01/2020 |
| · Participating artist in an open call · Exhibition showing for one month with 50 other artists · Making work in response to ideas of 'Collective Consciousness' · Published in a deck of tarot cards of which 100 copies were made and sold |
Residencies:
| Casa Tagumerche | La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain: Artist in Residence; 4 weeks, 04/2025 |
| Casa Na Isla | Ilhabela, Sao Paulo, Brazil: Artist in Residence; 4 weeks, 07/2019 - 08/2019 |
| · Collaborative working with other artists to make video and film pieces · Self-directed solo working in performance, painting and drawing. · Working in and responding to natural resources and landscapes. · Met schedule using excellent planning and coordination skills. · Diffused challenging situations using conflict management techniques. |
SKILLS:
| · Strong attention to detail · Superior time management skills · Analytical problem-solving skills · Strong communication skills · Teaching Experience · Interdisciplinary collaboration · Engaging Audiences |
EDUCATION:
Art Academy London | London, UK: BA in Fine Art: In Progress- 2026
· Developing a wide-ranging studio practice
· Developing creative concepts and translating to chosen medium, creating unique and one-of-a-kind works.
· Experience in multiple mediums, including Bronze, Performance, Digital, Paint and Sculpture
· Critically engaged with grounding in Critical Theory and Art History.
· Embedded in a community of Artists with frequent group crits and Art World experiences, including planning group shows.
Art Academy London | London, UK: Fine Art Foundation: Distinction: 2020
· Developing a multiple medium studio practice based in research, experimentation, and an openness to feedback from multiple sources.
· Participating in a Group Show