Artistic Statement

Catherine McColgan utilises an interdisciplinary practice of Art and Science to tackle larger philosophical questions regarding the potential ethical implications of a contemporary Bio art practice. She uses a microbial perspective to investigate the symbiotic relationships regarding our existence and what it means to be human. McColgan looks at human cells through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to present an unrecognisable image of the microbial human form to her audience, showcasing the power of scale regarding abstraction. By researching art, science, and philosophy as a basis for producing work, McColgan probes the human psyche. She explores how we perceive ourselves as a singular organism despite being a varied ecosystem of human and microbial cells working together.

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McColgan’s artistic practice is multimedia, consisting of drawings, paintings, screenprints, petri dishes, clay and bioplastic sculptures. Her work uses microbial imagery drawn on paper, creating the SEM series, which is used as a recurring motif, exploring a range of processes, experimentation and methodology. The processes she tests may be scientific, artistic or a hybrid of both (e.g., painting onto Petri dishes to cultivate samples). She is selective about which artistic processes she uses to examine her microbial motif, often looking at processes that mimic those of her subject matter. For example, McColgan produced a series of screenprints based on mitosis, allowing the artist to duplicate the imagery and build complex overlaid images, much like how cells amalgamate to create large, multisystem organisms.

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Mccolgan is currently enrolled in Central Saint Martin's Art and Science Masters course where she will develop and explore her interdisciplinary practice further, graduating in 2027.