The new Dublin mural celebrates Grace O’Malley, one of the most iconic women in Irish history.
If you’ve been in or around Aungier Street lately, you might have noticed an incredible new piece of artwork has appeared there in recent days.
The stunning new project is called ‘The Grace’ – a brand new Grace O’Malley mural designed by artist Kathrina Rupit, also known as KinMx, in partnership with Grace O’Malley Irish Whiskey.
The mural depicts a new, reconstructed image of Grace O’Malley, the pirate queen of Ireland, famous for a career in seafaring and piracy.
Kathrina’s design idolises Grace as the symbolic female leader and lionised warrior that she is, but presents a reconstructed role model – one that champions intelligence and values over weapons and violence.
The artist has said the design was based on conversations with her female friends, centred around how hearing stories like Grace O’Malley’s has empowered their own journeys as women.
So, with that in mind, we spoke to Kathrina to learn more about the inspiration behind her reconstruction of Grace O’Malley…
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What are the main messages or feelings you wanted your depiction of Grace O’Malley to illustrate?
“I find Grace like an archetype, a figure that invites us to emulate or embody their biggest qualities in order to expand, overcome and thrive on certain moments of our lives. So I wanted to share what I find inspiring about Grace O’Malley. Her unstoppable energy to fight for her rights, her unapologetic authenticity that brings her to be loyal to herself and achieve her deepest dreams, breaking all barriers once imposed for society at her time; of what a woman should be, do or have.”
Why did you choose to paint Grace armed with a book and pen, rather than weapons?
“I’m not a fan of a violent display, it didn’t feel right for me to have her pointing with guns or knives. I feel our biggest weapons today are our values, our intelligence and authenticity.”
The design for this mural was based on conversations with female friends. How exactly did that influence the final design, and why was that important to you?
“Because I like to do research before starting a commissioned painting to find the emotion that will drive the composition, I thought to invite some of my friends to my studio for drinks and just bring the topic up. Just observing the entire scene moving through the night I found the right weapons, because in a way they have the essence of how I see a contemporary Grace.”
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The design was commissioned by Grace O’Malley Irish Whiskey, Ireland’s first whiskey to be named after an Irish woman.
So it seems only right that the design will not only grace Aungier Street for a number of weeks but will also be printed on some limited edition bottles of Grace O’Malley Irish Whiskey, which will be available to purchase in June.
Plus, the artwork will be available to purchase as an NFT later this year, so keep your eyes peeled for that too.
Find out more about the Grace O’Malley mural HERE.
Please drink responsibly.
