Exhibition at Kinvara explores the psychological impact of social media

SOCIAL media and its psychological impact are the themes of an exciting new exhibition which will run at the Courthouse in Kinvara until early next month.
The show by Mark Keaveney is entitled ‘My Social Bubble’ and contains a number of innovative digital art pieces.
The young Roscommon native’s work was spotted during the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) end-of-year show by Pam Fleming, chairperson of Kinvara Area Visual Arts (KAVA).
After Mark accepted the invitation to exhibit, KAVA came together with Kinvara Alive, a local organisation promoting mental health, to respond to the themes raised in the artwork.
“Because of the effects of too much social media on mental health, Kinvara Alive (a local group promoting well-being and mental health) is going to collaborate with KAVA on the exhibition,” Pam outlined.
Kinvara Alive will have literature available on training and a range of mental health supports for the duration of the exhibition.
“The exploration of the psychological effects of social media is something that we can all ponder and come to our own conclusions,” added spokesperson for Kinvara Alive, Sean Glynn.
“As part of Kinvara Alive’s mission to raise awareness about wellbeing and mental health, we encourage people to come to the exhibition and come to their own conclusions.
“We invite the younger members of our community to visit this powerful exhibition as social media plays a much larger part of their daily lives.”
The 26-year-old artist said his work explores various aspects of social media and its impact.
“My current practice is about the psychological effects of social media,” he explained.
“I am exploring people’s engagement with these online platforms, mostly through digital media, along with other platforms such as painting, drawing, and photography.
“Modern technology has proven to be a huge phenomenon and an extremely helpful tool in the contemporary art world. It provides many benefits as well as potentially harmful results.
“There is a significant grey area to be found when approaching people’s mental health and these handheld devices.”
Mark has studied Contemporary Art at GMIT’s Centre for Creative Arts and Media. While he works in a variety of mediums, he gravitates towards digital art.
His practice focuses on digital illustrations and animated video works. Since studying in Galway, Mark has presented his work in a number of shows. In 2016 when he took part in Galway Technical Institute’s (GTI) end-of-year exhibition.
In 2019 he participated in the exhibition ‘Coast’ at GMIT. Last June, he showcased his digital pieces in the final year degree show ‘Transience’ took place at the coach station in Galway.
‘My Social Bubble’ will run in the Courthouse in Kinvara from Friday, September 24 to October 3, from 11am to 4pm daily.
More information is available on Kava.ie.