For Berlin-based Irish artist Dee Mulrooney, art is both a sanctuary and a transformative force. Her multi-disciplinary practice—spanning drawing, painting, writing, performance,
filmmaking, and music—channels the complexities of inhabiting a female body and the intergenerational echoes of pain and resilience.
Her artistic practice is deeply personal, shaped by her experiences growing up as a working class woman in the patriarchal and misogynistic society of 1970s Catholic Ireland.
Central to her work is her alter ego ‘Growler’, an 80-year-old alchemist from inner-city Dublin who transmutes women’s pain. Performed in a full-body vulva costume, Growler
gives voice to silenced stories through storytelling, song, and humour.
For Mulrooney, Growler is both a character and an ancestral voice, enabling her to tell hard truths, confront shadows, and facilitate healing across generations. Mulrooney’s process thrives in spontaneity and is deeply integrated into her daily life.
Whether sketching on a train, painting in her kitchen, or jotting down poetry in a supermarket, she seizes fleeting moments to craft profound expressions. “Art is woven into the fabric
of everyday living; there are no unused china cups in my home. Every day is sacred.”
Her art often embraces collaboration, reflecting her belief that creativity is as natural and vital as any biological function and should be accessible and integrated into life.
For Mulrooney, art is more than expression—it is medicine. Her creations are a sanctuary where she processes pain, honours her roots, and navigates the intersections of motherhood,
identity, and history. Through her art, she builds bridges to understanding, offering a healing force for herself and her audience alike.
