Tara O Brien is an Irish artist based in Dublin Ireland. In 2019 she gave a talk at OFFSET. Her talk begins with her introducing herself and her practice. She then began to talk about her university experience. She attended Dublin Institute of Technology and graduated with a degree in visual communication. During her time at university, she told the story of how she joined a social networking site, Tumblr, and how this ultimately opened so many doors for her and allowed her to be in the position she is now. When she first joined Tumblr she joined a small community of feminists, admittedly she recognised that she only had a surface level of knowledge and understanding of this subject. Using this group she educated herself on many of these topics, becoming increasingly interested in body images in particular and the politics surrounding it.
The self proclaimed fat lady discusses how this community helped her realise the importance of representation within the media. She, as a young girl, grew up with little to no representation In the media and didn’t grow up watching and engaging with people who looked like her. She recognises there is a power in positive representation in the media. O Brien then shared a story about a group of fat women who began uploading selfies and engaging in acts fat women weren’t ‘supposed’ to engage in. O Brien exclaimed how she felt empower by these women breaking and pushing boundaries for fat girls and wanted to contribute in anyway she could, thus creating a zine: “How We Get By”. The zine was a source of work O Brien created with the help of the community of women on their coping mechanisms for bad mental health days. She expressed how refreshing It was to create a real and authentic narrative on mental health from real life point of views. This along with opening commissions allowed her to be seen in the business eye. She was commissioned to complete a drawing that would go up in Belfast city centre. The series of four drawing told an enchanting story of a girl and her adventures in a goldfish bowl.
O Brien discussed how her work allows her to carve out experiences like hers and allows her to create media that allows for representation. She hopes her work promotes inclusivity and allows for minority groups, POC, people of different gender identities and disabilities see themselves in her work and finally can begin to feel included in the media. Her naïve style allows for adults and children alike to find shelter in her work. She calls out illustrators who are comfortable and are confining themselves into these narratives of under representation as it doesn’t ‘fit their aesthetic’ and talks about how she pushes herself to find inclusivity in all her work. She finished her talk by stating that her illustrations aren’t just for her anymore they are for all people.
For me there is something about her child like style that is so comforting which really juxtaposes the uncomfortable message she is producing and highlighting with her work. Her illustrations feel like a safe space and promotes positivity and promotes love within the world. Her use of subtle colours adds a gentle approach to her work. What initially drew me to her work was her unique style in which she said she adopted through commissions on Tumblr.
