Aoife Cawley is a printmaker and textiles artist from Kildare, Ireland.  She graduates in 2024 from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee with a BA (Hons) in Contemporary Art Practice.

Cawley’s work is centered around stories and people from folklorical, mythological, hagiographical, and historical contexts. These stories or figures are commemorated through the mediums of printmaking and embroidered textiles. She draws inspiration from the past, looking back to the Irish Arts and Craft Movement and the Celtic Revival, and uses similar mediums and references to create her work.

Her current practice is concerned with the lives of saints, more specifically with early Christian Ireland and the plethora of saints from that time period. The work focuses on the folklore surrounding these saints and how they have left us with long standing traditions that are still upheld today. She is aware of the importance of preserving these stories for future generations and uses her practice to revive, reimagine, or highlight their relevance in a contemporary context.

Through the mediums of printmaking and textiles, Cawley commemorates these tales and underlines the impact they have on the national identities of Ireland. She employs a complicated screen printing process, often consisting of up to 25 layers. She uses this to replicate mediaeval illuminated manuscripts, such as the Book of Kells, in bright  and bold neon inks.

Cawley and her work has been featured in media outlets such as The Irish Times, RTÉ, Tourism Ireland, DISTRICT Magazine, Lovin’ Dublin. She has exhibited in both Ireland and over the UK.