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When I came here I started to develop more storyt
elling projects, one of the first of which was Migration Integration. From that I started to develop more ideas, and techniques, and have started doing some mentorships, working with established artists to develop my style. One of the first was Mella Travers, from the Darkroom in Dublin. She mentored me for a few years, and then I did a residency in Morocco, and through that I was also developing my craft. Parallel to that I also started lighting assistance, and digital technician work, but that’s more the more commercial aspect of it. “I’ve always been more interested in the Fine Art side of this, always looking, always learning, so then within the last few years I’ve been doing a mentorship with Conor Horgan. Now I’m also doing a mentorship with Sean Hillen, so this has been helping me refine the style. It’s been a plethora of people who’ve helped me refine my style, to come to where I’m at now, and I’m still working with the same people, we’re still evolving.” A staggering 39 shows in one calendar year is a monumental feat, how did you manage to accomplish that? “I don’t create work for shows. I just create work. Some of the work for these shows was from four, five years ago. There’s so much of it that I can pick and choose, so across those 39 shows there was some old work, new work, everything in between. A lot of my work has to do with race, with sexuality, mental health, with class. I try to make work that goes across the board and touches everyone. I want people from all walks of life to be able to see it , and to interpret it. That’s the way I think about it when I make and show the work.”. With so many shows, can you tell me about some personal highlights that spring to mind? “One of my favorite shows I did was in That Social Centre, in Phibsborough. I love the grassroots stuff. The energy there and the love, it was such a heartwarming feeling. I had six pieces in that show, and I was experimenting with larger scale pieces. The biggest thing I had done to that point was A0, and I had a perfect project to exhibit in their space. I’m normally used to dealing with gallery folks and museum folks who need it to be a certain size. That they were able to give so many artists a unique chance and situation. In the arts, we often get caught up in the idea of The Institution, but once you make art that is for everyone, and doesn’t have to be over intellectualized. It wasn’t like a museum, or gallery, it was all cool vibes, it was all a level playing field.” Indeed, many of Claxtons shows over the year were in these unconventional, untraditional spaces. “I identify as a punk. I’ve always been more of an underground kind of person. I like going off the beaten path. I’ve always enjoyed finding unique locations to exhibit. Of the 39 shows, I’d say maybe fifteen of them were in these kinds of spaces.” Claxton is also one of the co-founders of ÍOVA, an ever evolving collective of creatives who have been prolific in the years since they began. “ÍOVA is a group of visual artists from various backgrounds. We wanted to 22 “And the Wee Stores used to open on a Sunday. Because they were Prods. They’d open and sell the newspapers, while all the Catholic stores were closed.”