Bio

Emma O’Rourke (b. London, 1987) is an Irish diaspora artist based in Thanet, UK. Her practice focuses on drawing and painting, delicately assembling often indistinguishable forms - otherworldly beings eager to find their place. Her work and research sheds light on the theme of dependency, what it means to belong and being displaced as a physiological state.

In 2022, Emma exhibited her first solo show V E S S E L S at Willesden Gallery, London. The exhibition was inspired and informed by Brent Museum and Archives where she undertook a body of research into the history of Irish migration to London. The exhibition showcased archival material previously underseen highlighting the themes of mental health and Irish women, alongside a series of paintings made in response to the findings. She speaks of a sense of displacement - not British but without an Irish accent - identifying with the Irish diaspora. The title of the show was inspired by the author Sally Rooney, recognising a desire to give physical shape to our experiences.

Her work is fuelled by stories, quiet moments and exchanges - acknowledging the limitations of language. She has two children and marks matrescence as an integral part of her practice. Her drawings and paintings express a yearning to make sense of the past through our messy day-to-day existence.

Emma is a graduate of Wimbledon College of Art and has an MA from the University of Manchester. She completed the Turps Art School Correspondence Course in 2023. She has previously been represented by Cicek Gallery, London.

In 2025, Emma felt a call to the coast and relocated with her family to Thanet, Kent. Her studio is based in Margate.

Artist Statement

Drawing has been instinctive from a young age. I am influenced by the work of Hilma af Klint, Emma Talbot and Otobong Nkanga - artists whose drawings display a visual confidence. I draw from my surroundings - an intimate memory log - often forming the backbone of my paintings.

Growing up in an Irish Catholic household, traditions and values were passed down without explanation - fuelling a lifelong preoccupation with the fragility of our existence. I am, somewhat reluctantly, consumed by our complicated relationship with nostalgia and the narratives we hold onto. I am particularly interested in how we internalise our surroundings - porous people carrying our ancestors and exchanges with others.

My work is instinctive - forming itself organically - touching on biblical references and celtic mythology, as well as my own childhood and working-class background. I like to play with vivid colours, painting energetically and light of touch - placing particular importance on transparency and the layering of materials and brushstrokes. The final outcome merges our internal worlds with natural forms to create surreal yet familiar images, hinting at our own inevitable disorderly decline.

Education

Turps Art School, Correspondence Course, 2022-23

The Essential School of Painting, 2020-22

University of Manchester, United Kingdom, MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies, 2011-12

Wimbledon College of Art, University of the Arts London, BA(hons) Theatre: Design for Performance, First Class, 2007-10

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, 2006-07

Solo Exhibitions

2022

V E S S E L S, Willesden Gallery, Brent, London

P A P E R, The Stables Gallery, Reveley Lodge Trust, Hertfordshire

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024

BLOSSOM, Cicek Gallery, Hackney Downs Studios, London

2023

Do you hear us…are you listening? Online Exhibition, Spilt Milk Gallery

All Great Ideas Start in a Garage, Cicek Gallery, Soho & Shoreditch, London

Do Not Swallow, Safehouse 1 & 2, Peckham, London

Under Their Skin, One Paved Court, Richmond, London

Cicek Art Fair, Unit 3 & The Landing Gallery, South Tottenham, London

Drawing Open 2023, No Format Gallery, Deptford, London

VISION-ARY, The Earth Vision Charity Exhibition, 13 Soho Square, London

Last Minute, The Earth Vision and Cicek Gallery, 13 Soho Square, London

2022

Painting Open 2022, No Format Gallery, Deptford, London

Art Matters, The ESOP, The Art Pavilion, Mile End, London

Drawing Open 2022, No Format Gallery, Deptford, London

Mythical Political, The Firestation Creative, Dunfermline, Scotland

2021

Art Matters, The ESOP, The Art Pavilion, Mile End, London

SPLINT! group show, David Mach RA studio, Havelock Walk, Forest Hill, London

Sydenham Artists Trail, Sydenham, London