Ruan Murphy

I am a self-taught printmaker and socially engaged artist/facilitator. I initially started
printmaking during a long period of illness so that people would stop telling me to get a
hobby, and have been doing it ever since. My work commonly explores themes around
social justice, community activism and place, taking inspiration from folk/outsider art
and modern protest art. More recently, I have started exploring my own experiences of
chronic illness, neurodiversity and gender/queerness and the broader social contexts
these exist within.

Inseparable from my individual practice, I am passionate about creating art
collaboratively and have facilitated participatory projects in a wide range of community
settings. I am an advocate of wonky art and a firm believer that there is no such thing as
bad drawing. Having worked on a wide range of projects with both younger and older
participants, I am really excited to expand my practice with Magic Me through exploring
what happens when different generations are brought together. I am keen to pull apart
and challenge ideas about what intergenerational work looks like and also just have fun
and explore different materials with people.