Awareness - Eamon Monaghan

Eamon Monaghan's art is made up of sculptural items that are usually found in houses or just in everyday life, however these things are all mixed up and presented in a new way. His materials are cardboard, tinfoil, wire, and epoxy clay. Monaghan's sculptures show the messiness and chaos of life in general and the different things we see and do.

"Road Refrigerator" (2025)

I really like this piece because it is very unexpected to see the items you see everyday in your life arranged in this way. It reminds me of a children's book illustration, which is a good thing. I especially like the road with the car driving through it, because it ties both sides of the piece together. I also really like the beams on the outside, framing the sculpture. This makes the sculpture seem finished and also connects it to his other works because they often have beams.

"Trap Door" (2025)

I also really enjoyed this piece. Compared to the other works I saw from him, this one is relatively simple, but I really like its simplicity. It is super interesting and cool how he includes the rope, because it makes the whole sculpture really dynamic and not boring. I think it is really neat how he connected this rope to the frame portion of the sculpture, because this connects the outside frame to the inside sculpture. Seeing the rope pulling up a beam makes me imagine that this trap door is one to a secret treehouse which gives the feeling of childlike fun.

"Night Stomach" (2023)

"Night Stomach" is part of a different installation from the other two works I looked at, so it is very different. However, it still has the same cartoony style and is a twist on something from everyday life. I thought it was really cool how Monaghan turned the digestive tract into an actual track/road for cars in this sculpture. I think it makes the sculpture look really interesting and makes you want to look at it over and over again. I also love the streetlamps because they are swaying in the wind and add a ton of movement into the sculpture. Overall, the concept for this specific sculpture is really creative and it makes you think about your own body and how it works.

To conclude, the sculptures by Eamon Monaghan are very interesting and cool because of their unique take on things that are common in everyday life. In my own work I hope to include similar things, like changing well known objects into something else. I also really liked the way he framed his work, so I hope to do something similar.