Pauline Cummins (Ireland) is an artist whose work explores the human condition from a feminist perspective. Her interest lies in performance and video work where she examines identity, gender and socio-cultural relations connected to different communities in the society. Her examination of locations questions how the self is constituted and how people act within a group either chosen or determined in social situations such as work, education, leisure time “social activities” or the basic structure of the family.

Pauline attended National College of Art, Dublin, during its turbulent years of Mao-influenced ‘continuous revolution’ and lockouts (1967–1970), which profoundly influenced her work strategies. She moved from painting to photography, performance, sound work and video installations, during the 80s. She was the founding chairperson of the Women Artists Action Group (WAAG), which from 1987–1991 organized exhibitions and conferences in Ireland, and promoted exchange and dialogue internationally.

Her work has been exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art Dublin. She has recently renewed a strong commitment to performance that is collaborative, improvised, durational and live, working with The Performance Collective based in Dublin since 2009. She presented her new video work and performance, Sound the Alarm 4, in Victoria, in September 2010. She took part in Right Here Right Now Irish Performance Art in Kilmainham Jail in 2011, and plans 14 days of live performance with The Collective at the Galway Arts Centre, during the Galway Arts Festival in 2012.

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