LM Leia Mocan Visual artist
About Leia

Artist, curator, collaborator, and environmental advocate.

Originally from Romania, I am a multimedia artist and activist based in Co.Dublin, Balbriggan. My work spans a range of mediums including Photography, Ceramics, Sculpture, Art Installation, Performance Art, and Painting, with a particular focus on environmental themes. I pursued oil painting studies for four years in Romania and graduated from Griffith College Dublin in 2019 with a BA in Visual Arts, majoring in Photography. Recently, I've been drawn to curatorial work, completing a Post-Graduate Program in Curating at Zurich University of the Arts. My studies focused on "Environmental Thinking in Artistic and Curatorial Practices," which I completed in 2023.

My artistic practice has been supported through a broad network of arts, cultural, and institutional funding in Ireland and has received support from the Arts Council, Fingal County Council, Creative Ireland, and Fingal Creative Communities, alongside bursary and programme-based backing from the Centre for Creative Practices (CFCP), "Mother Tongue" Festival and Embassy of Romania in Ireland. Project and exhibition development has also been funded through Science Foundation Ireland (Research Ireland), Trinity College Dublin (the University of Dublin), Heritage Ireland, and Irish Aid, reflecting sustained cross-sector investment in her curatorial, collaborative, and environmentally focused body of work.

I have established a significant collaboration with the Centre for Creative Practices (CFCP) over the years, which has supported my professional growth through one-on-one mentoring sessions, exposure opportunities such as guest appearances on the CFCP podcast/interviews, and participation in several group exhibitions including New Voices of Ireland (2019, 2020, 2021), the Third Space Initiative in 2022, and a recent bursary award in the “Centre for Creative Practices Programme 2023.”

Additionally, I was selected as one of ten artists for the "Words Work" workshop series, which culminated in the “Mother Tongues” Festival in February 2023. The Romanian Embassy in Ireland honoured me by facilitating my first retrospective exhibition, “In the Land of the Green,” which I co-curated along Tony Srtickland. As a member of the artist collective “Sceal”, I participated in the “How it’s Made” group exhibition, supported by the Arts Council, Fingal County Council, and Creative Ireland organized for Culture Night 2023, and other several local group exhibitions since then.

I am one of six artists selected for the 2024-2025 Bursary Award Fingal Creative Communities: “From Loom to Limb: Fine Threads of Balbriggan” program curated by Petra Sky where I am currently developing a video performance inspired by Balbriggan’s town heritage interlayer with the Romanian cultural traditions and crafts. I am the Head of the Curatorial Committee of “Sceal Artist Collective”, actively participating in organizing local shows, applying for funding and I am also the curator (along Shane Hoey) for the 2024 Culture Night, event organized in partnership with the Irish Institute of Music & Song with funding supported by the Arts Council. Additionally, I volunteer with “Foroige” & “Squad Up” teaching art to minors in my local community, and I| am involved with several environmental organizations such as the Clean Coast Organizations, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and Extinction Rebellion.

In my practice, I exclusively use materials sourced from illegal dumping sites around the city or from my own waste, combined with natural elements, to create an environmentally conscious approach. This includes using sustainably sourced dry pigments (Earth Pigments) in my paintings, upcycled materials (mainly plastic) and found objects in my sculptures, and recycled materials in textile works, all emphasizing climate change-related issues.

Overall, my work serves as a social critique of consumer-driven society, intending to engage viewers in reflection and inspire positive change in consumer behaviour and attitudes. Since relocating to Ireland, I have been reconnecting with my Romanian roots, culture, and traditions. My recent works are influenced by my national identity, language, culture, and family, as I explore my identity as an immigrant, woman, and artist, with a continued focus on environmental issues.

EXHIBITIONS
  • Group Exhibition “How It’s made Festival: Unmasking AI” , curated by Valeria Ceregini funded by Science Foundation Ireland (Research Ireland) with support from Fingal County Council in partnership with Smart Balbriggan, the CONNECT Centre and the SCÉAL Arts Collective. New work: AI-based Sculptural Interactive Installation “Synthetic Clairvoyance” Event organized for Science Week in Balbriggan at The Hub 13.11.2025- 15.11.2025
  • Group exhibition & Curatorial work: “Trinity Climate Gateway Exhibition” curated by Leia Mocan in collaboration with SCÉAL Arts Collective. New sculptural works: “When Oceans Rise, Wells Dry”, “The Machine Drinks First”, “Perforation”, Exhibition Venue: E3 LEARNING FOUNDRY, event funded by Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland. November 2025
  • Group exhibition: “On the Altar of the Arts 2025- All is one, Reflections on Identity” curated by Martin Hughes Works: Photographic series: “A Visual Dialog between I and Me”. Exhibition Venue: Balbriggan Millfield Centre, Balbriggan 23.05-01.06.2025
  • Group exhibition “Weaving the Threads of Heritage” curated by Petra Skyvova, funded by Arts Council, Fingal County Council, Heritage Ireland. New Works: Sculptural installation “Inner Self”, Video performance “The Odessey”. Exhibition Venue: Argillan Castle Gallery 12.04-14.05.2025
  • Group exhibition “How It’s made Festival: Demystifying IOT in Transportation” curated by Valeria Ceregini funded by Science Foundation Ireland (Research Ireland) with support from Fingal County Council in partnership with Smart Balbriggan, the CONNECT Centre and the SCÉAL Arts Collective. New work: video performance “Last Breath”. Event organized for Science Week in Balbriggan at The Lark Venue 14-16.11.2024

  • Curatorial work: Culture Night 2024: “Roots Of Reuse” a self-developed initiative led by SCÉAL Arts Collective, where I serve as Head of the Curatorial Panel, co-curated with Shane Hoey in partnership with The Irish Institute of Music and Song (The Lark Venue), with funding from the Arts Council. The festival showcased four local artists—Murielle Celis, Tina Poole, Elizabeth Comerford, and David Newton—commissioning them to create new, sustainable, and collaborative bodies of work.

    I also directed and produced a video journal, "Roots of Reuse," for the festival, which included in-depth studio interviews with each artist, offering viewers insight into their sustainable art practices.

  • Group Show: “On the Altar of the Arts 2024”, curated by Martin Hughes and Leia Mocan 31.05.2024- 09.06.2024 Balbriggan Millfield Centre/ Wearhouse Arts Centre, Balbriggan. The title of the show was given by the artist’s self-portrait B&W Large Format Film series with the same title, developed over seven years :2017-2024.
  • Curatorial work, group show: “The Road”, co-curated by Akvile Simanskiene, exhibition included in the Bike Week Festival. The program was developed for Sceal Artist Collective, funded by Fingal County Council with the support of Our Balbriggan and Smart Balbriggan, organized at The Wearhouse Arts Centre, Balbriggan 11.05.2024-19.05.2024

  • Solo exhibition of photography and mix media “Facing the Self” 25.03.2024-31.03.2024, self-curated organized at GalleryX, Dublin. The show included the B&W medium format film /Mix Media collage “Confluence of Realms” developed in collaboration with photographer Kelvin Hughes along the Mix Media Collage “Semn de Mama” translated as “Birthmark” from Romanian.

    This was the first work titled in the artist native language and combines medium colour format film with stands of the artist own hair sealed under several layers of resin.

  • Solo exhibition of experimental videos “Soup of the day” including a new sculptural installation “Mass of Darkness” developed in collaboration with CFCP, based on the “Centre for Creative Practices Programme 2023”bursary award, curated by Monika Sapielak at D-Light Studios (11.12.2023 - 21.12.2023)
  • Group exhibition “How it’s Remade” organized by Sceal Collective, curated by Martin Hughes. The Wearhouse, Balbriggan (09.09.2023- 23.10.2023)
  • Group exhibition “How it’s made: meitheal” organized by Sceal Collective, curated by Valeria Ceregini, part of the How it’s made Festival . Culture night live performance: “The diary of a cotton thread”. The Vault, Balbriggan (09.09.2023- 23.09.2023)
  • “In the land of the Green” retrospective exhibition, curated by Tony Srtickland and co-curated by Leia Mocan , organized by the Embassy of Romania in Ireland at Palmerston House, Dublin 1. (August 2023)
  • “Under the Sterile" solo exhibition, works: "All that is left I", "All that is left II", "The death of the 160.000 years old child", "Point of implosion", "To be titled", "Slides" at GalleryX, Dublin (10.04 - 15.04.2023)
  • “Words Work" workshop series lead by Caroline Bergvall part of “Mother Tongues” Festival , video work “Blue/ Albastru/ Azul/ Neelam”, developed in collaboration with the professional dancer Subhashini Goda and the visual artist Cleide Regina (23.01.23 - 17.02.23)
  • Group show “Umbilical” at GalleryX, Dublin. Video work “New Umbilical” developed in collaboration with the visual artist Barbara O’ Meara, over nine months (January - September 22)
  • Guest Artist, Culture Night. "Many Voices" group exhibition by Arts Nomad, at Pallas Studio, Dublin. Live performance: spoken word poetry recital (bilingual);“New Umbilical” & “Umbilical Cord” (23.09.22)
  • 2Group exhibition "Against the Odds: Open Studios", by Center for Creative Practices, video work: “Umbilical Cord” (11.02.21-01.04.21)
  • Group Exhibition: “Locale III” A4 Studios , Dublin, Ireland. “Flat Line” - sculptural series “Beat I” & “Beat II”; video performance “Life support system” developed in collaboration with the audio artist Robert David (24.10.19- 31.10.19)
  • Collective Ideas- collaborative and creative initiative funded by Irish Aid with a focus on global issues Sculptural work “Stop wearing dead skin” (15.06.19- 25.08.19)
  • installation ”Plastic Pillar”; video work “Instructions I” developed in collaboration with the audio artist Robert David; mix media installation “Mirror, a portrait of the community, a portrait of the artist” including a series of self-portraiture photography (13.09.19-20.09.19)
  • "Graduate Show", Griffith College, Dublin, Ireland; photographic installation “REstART” series (06.06.19 - 13.06.19)
AWARDS
  • Selected artist: 2024-2025 Bursary Award Fingal Creative Communities: “From Loom to Limb: Fine Threads of Balbriggan” program curated by Petra Sky
  • Culture Night 2024 “Roots of Reuse” program self-developed for Sceal Artist Collective in partnership with the Irish Institute of Music & Song with funding supported by the Arts Council. The Lark Concert Hall, curated by Leia Mocan and Shane Hoey 20.09.2024- 22.09.2024
  • “Centre for Creative Practices Programme 2023”- bursary award funded by CFCP/ Arts Council, 2023
  • Artist grant “How it’s made” funded by Sceal Collective, with the support of Arts Council, Fingal County Council and Creative Ireland, 2023
  • “In the land of the Green” artist grant funded by the Embassy of Romania in Ireland, 2023
  • “Third Space” bursary award funded by CFCP/ Arts Council, 2022
  • Bursary Award “Covid-19 Crisis Response Award”, funded by Arts Council, 2020
  • “New Voices of Ireland Series 7” bursary award funded by CFCP/ Arts Council, 2019
  • "Noone Casey Bursary Award" funded by Griffith College, 2019
EDUCATION
  • Post-Graduate Program in Curating, Zurich University of the Arts. Environmental Thinking in Artistic and Curatorial Practices, 2023
  • Art and Tech: Digital Art, Christie’s Education Unit London, UK, Nov. 2019
  • BA Visual Arts in Photographic Media, Griffith College, Dublin, Ireland, 2016 - 2019
  • Romulus Ladea - Arts Institute, Oil Painting, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 2002 - 2006 *Winner - National Art Olympics, Romania - Oil painting, 2005
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