Catriona Leahy

"I first heard of the WARP Artist Village in 2013 when I had just completed my Masters in Print at the Royal College of Art in London. I applied for the 2013 edition of WARP Artist Village that took place on the grounds of C-mine in Genk. During that short residency, I was introduced to an incredible panel of arts professionals who have since helped to carve out the career I have as an artist today.

Meeting with these individuals and organisations has helped to establish my practice on an international level and helped me secure important funding through the Arts Council in Ireland and Culture Ireland (the funding body responsible for supporting international projects).

WARP as an organisation, and specifically the “Artist Village”, is not only important for the potential to meet leading directors and gallerists, etc. but it provides the opportunity to be part of a wider community of artists. It is an incredibly important networking opportunity and I count my participation and experience at WARP Artist Village as the single most important step I took in my early career as an artist. Stef van Bellingen and his team at WARP nurture and encourage every artist, local and international. For this reason, the positive impact of WARP extends worldwide."

‍