We are often told that the world is simply the way it is. That war is inevitable, that power comes from the rich who sit at the top of society, and that the systems shaping our lives are too deeply rooted to change. For Irish analogue collage artist Sorcha O’Higgins, these are not truths to be accepted, but realities to be questioned.
In ‘twas never thus’, her debut solo exhibition opening in Dublin in November 2026, O’Higgins approaches collage as a means of disrupting established ways of seeing. She connects past to present by piecing together fragments of archival and vintage print media such as newspapers, magazines and books, in order to speak to the events of today. The exhibition moves across three interconnected territories; imperial violence, the female form, and capitalism. O’Higgins sketches out how all three are expressions of the same underlying system.
Through a practice that challenges accepted narratives, she invites audiences to reconsider the world around them and question whether the present is as inevitable as it seems. The exhibition’s title ‘twas never thus’, draws on the old adage ‘twas ever thus’, a phrase which means “it has always been like this”. By reversing this familiar expression, O’Higgins challenges the assumption that existing norms and social realities are permanent. Her work proposes that what appears to be inevitable may in fact be the result of decisions made by those with the power to shape society.
This questioning becomes particularly evident in her use of historical imagery. Drawing from archival material relating to the troubles, the Iraq war and the Second world War, O’Higgins places images of conflict alongside fragments from pop culture, creating unexpected relationships between different periods and political contexts. Although the geographical and historical circumstances may change, the consequences of violence, destruction and unequal power remain recognisable.
Her collages tastefully explore the contradictions that exist within individuals and society, finding possibilities in the spaces between what is accepted and what is rejected, what is serious and what is absurd. Rather than treating these events as isolated moments in history, the artist recognises the subtle similarities and draws attention to the systems that connect them. Her work suggests that contemporary issues cannot be fully understood without examining the political and economic structures that are behind them.
An artwork in the show that captures its intent blends images of Nazi soldiers performing what a photograph caption describes as “safety falls of no apparent military value” with a troupe of actors from a 1970s gay theatre magazine and soldiers preparing to deploy in Iraq. It’s called “Aren’t You Enjoying This Incredibly Masculine Experience?”, a quote from journalist Helen Lewis about the masculinist movement on the right. The juxtaposition challenges conventional representations of military masculinity, bringing together images that carry very different cultural associations.
“It’s about their idea that the pinnacle of manhood is going to war. In this scenario, war is only arbitrary, simulated falls in a field that might get you killed, O’Higgins says, “It’s quite tragic, but also ridiculous”. That tension, between the tragic and the ridiculous, between rage and humour, is what drives the show.
The willingness to embrace contradiction is central to the exhibition. Rather than presenting a single, straightforward interpretation of the world, O’Higgins creates images that resist easy categorisation. Her compositions encourage viewers to sit with discomfort, uncertainty and competing meanings, recognising that reality is often more complicated than the narratives through which it is presented.
Gender and the representation of the body form another important strand of her work. Alongside this sits Playboy imagery from the 1970s, made for the male gaze but reappropriated and imbued with feminine agency, tracing a line from the erosion of women’s rights to the same systems that produce conflict and oppression. Holding it all together are clippings from the Reagan/Thatcher era, the moment neoliberalism took hold as the dominant political logic. Today’s crises, the work insists, are not isolated emergencies. They are the result of choices made by a small and powerful few, fifty years ago.
Her approach also raises questions about the relationship between images and the narratives attached to them. Magazines, newspapers, and archival photographs are cultural artefacts, each carrying the values and assumptions of the period in which they were produced. By reworking these materials, O’Higgins draws attention to the ways in which images influence our understanding of history, identity and the present.
Collage becomes both the medium and the message; fragments are removed from their original settings and assembled into something new, demonstrating how meaning can shift when familiar elements are viewed differently. This process is also evolving with O’Higgins’ wider practice. While paper-based collage remains central to her work, she
is beginning to incorporate found textiles and embroidery, introducing new material qualities and possibilities. Paper and fabric occupy different physical spaces, but both allow the artist to construct images through the arrangement of existing elements.
Beyond her studio practice, O’Higgins has worked on large scale public murals and community projects, with commissions from Dublin City Council, Guinness and community organisations across Ireland. She also facilitates collage workshops for a range of public audiences and is currently completing a public art project in Stoneybatter, Dublin. These projects extend her visual storytelling beyond the gallery, bringing her practice into public and communal spaces.
At a time when political instability, conflict and debates around bodily autonomy continue to dominate public discourse, ‘twas never thus’ offers a way of examining how these issues intersect. Its subject matter is often difficult, but the work does not rely on straightforward explanations or easy conclusions. Instead, it asks viewers to recognise the relationships between seemingly separate issues and to question the assumption that allows them to persist.
Ultimately, O’Higgins’ exhibition is concerned with the possibility of change. By taking images that already carry established meanings and placing them in unfamiliar contexts, she demonstrates how alternative interpretations can emerge from the same material. The process is not unlike the act of questioning the social and political structures that shape everyday life; once their supposed inevitability is challenged, other possibilities begin to appear. ‘Twas never thus’ does not promise simple answers to the problems it examines. Instead, it offers a reminder that the world we inhabit is not beyond question, and that the stories we inherit do not have to determine the stories we tell next.
Words: Aoife Summerville
Sorcha O’Higgins, The Circular, Rialto, Dublin 8
The exhibition runs from November 13th – December 18th. Free entry.
Art for sale – originals (framed and unframed) & prints
Further information: sorchaohiggins.com @sorchaoh_collage