Paul Murnaghan is a multidisciplinary artist working with the substance of belief. Each action explores fragmentary points of intersection between the spiritual, scientific and psychological. Content is gathered through a multitude of experiments, projects and utopian quests. The results of these are often of an ethereal nature whilst others develop as moving image, sound, music composition and installation. Murnaghan’s projects rarely happen without other people and the generosity of exchange.

Paul Murnaghan's projects often take the form of invitations. In Memorious (2006), the invitation was an advertisement, in which the artist offered part of his memory to hold the recollection of another. During the next year, Auto Da Fe (2007), was an invitation to believe - as Murnaghan created an artwork, in the soon-to-be-demolished Pallas Heights Gallery, that no one would be allowed to see. Sitting between belief, knowledge and faith and drawing on the generosity of exchange, this latest project, 'A Line Describing Nothings', continued these themes by asking people to undertake 'a past life regression', and then to assist in the drawing of artworks based on the recovered, or discovered 'memories'. Wonderful, and somehow surreal, these works are not attempts to solve the mysteries and myths of past lives, collective memory and master narratives, but are instead simply responses to the information received.

Gemma Tipton, extract from ‘A line describing nothings’, Catalogue, ‘the LAB'.

A line describing nothings, Regression Drawing. Pencil and marker on Fabriano paper, hung with 200 magnets, lenght 15 meters.

Over a 48 hours period, 10 volunteers were hypnotically regressed, with one stipulation. Immediately after the regression they must assist in rendering drawings by describing scenes based on their past life, details such as where and when they lived, what they wore, how they died.

Biog.

Solo exhibitions include 'All Mountains Are Moving', at Limerick City Gallery, and 'Penumbra' at The Royal Hibernian Academy.  Group exhibitions include, TULCA 18, ‘Melancholy in Progress’ the 3rd Biennial of International Video Art at The Hong-Gah Museum in Taiwan, ‘Blasphemy’ at The Oonagh Young Gallery in Dublin and Memorious as part of MOPE at The Kunsti Museum of Modern Art in Finland. Residencies include The International Studio & Curatorial Program in Brooklyn NY, Platform in Finland and The Bolay Residency at The Linenhall Arts Centre in 2023 (forthcoming).

He has exhibited in numerous international group shows, with solo shows in Finland, Estonia, Germany, USA and Ireland. Sound and music composition are central to his practice, collaborating with artists such as Celina Muldoon, Sandra Johnston and Dalila Belaza. Murnaghan is interested in distributing works through various mediums and his video/sound work '10 Stone' was commissioned by Random Acts for Channel 4 Television in London, 'Long song dream' was selected by Pat Murphy for 'FREE FROM NEAR OR FAR' at The Irish Film Institute in Sept 2021. A text and small installation entitled 'snow' are currently on show as part of Sarah Pierce’s exhibition ‘Scene of the Myth’ at The Irish Museum of Modern Art until September 2023.

Early Curatorial works developed arts festivals and exhibitions throughout Ireland focusing on psychologies expressed through new media and installation. As Artistic Director/Curator at 5th Gallery at The Guinness Storehouse (2000-03) he brought works by artists such as Chris Cunningham, Uri Tzaig and Kimio Tsuchiya to Ireland for the first time. As Curator at 'Place' Co. Wexford 2009/11 he focused on artists living in Ireland such as The Good Hatchery, Magnhild Opdol, Ella De Burca.  For 'Where is the here if the here is in there? Murnaghan invited E.S.P. T.V. Bertille Bak and Kakyoung Lee to Pallas Projects/Studios, with support from a number of NY Galleries/Residencies including I.S.C.P. ART OMI and Nurture Art.