Misgivings
Passengers
Endlessly Crying
Light Hearted
Feuds & Faith
Drawings
About
Contact
Kira Sun McCarthy (b.1998, UK) is a visual artist who lives and works in London, and is of Singaporean Chinese and Irish heritage. Previously she completed her Undergraduate Degree at UAL Camberwell College of Arts, graduating in 2022 with a First Class Honours in Fine Art and Painting.
Her practice utilizes painting, photography and film to bring to light the power and potential of feminine love and female relationships. Whether they may be sexual or platonic, exploring how the ubiquitous nature of technology acts to undermine these bonds is evermore important when living in a capitalist and patriarchal world. Kira believes female connections are an incredibly crucial aspect of survival against modern-day society, due to their uncompromising ability to provide nurture, safety, love and a sense of belonging. By portraying scenes of simultaneous intimacy and disconnect, Kira believes such visual conflicts are needed to urge the viewer to question what happens when these crucial alliances are tested.
Kira’s current project, Passengers, explores the scene of two girls in the back of a car, submerged in the red glow of traffic and street lights. Intended to perforate people’s memories of being a passenger at night, this intimate environment undertones the tension of a journey, the liminal space of travelling between destinations and the apprehension of arrival. Kira uses the car as a symbol for wanting to leave, to move on from a situation. Having always lived in London she explores a craving of escapism that young adults are currently experiencing, with increasing financial pressures and constantly feeling emotionally spent, we are dreaming of ways to opt out of the rat race in major cities and unconsciously ushering in change.
Passengers explores the space between female companions and the repertoire of strong female bonds. The unknowing of whether the girls are friends or romantically involved is necessary to help us understand the subtle strengths within these relationships and how multifaceted they can be in helping us prosper and survive. Kira regards the phone as a motif, representing the struggles of modern day life and how technology interrupts these intimate, fleeting and significant moments, how it claims to make connection but simultaneously inhibits it.
NEIGHBOURHOOD MAGAZINE
Kira is currently part of a creative database run by Neighbourhood Magazine which acts as a free space where creatives can showcase their work, background and contact details in order to connect, collaborate and be inspired.
AUCART (2022 - 2025)
Kira was represented by Aucart, an online auction house that allows buyers to discover and collect work directly from the studios of emerging artists.
EXHIBITIONS
2025, Live or Die Trying, Space and Purpose, London, UK (Group)
2024, Moving Parts Event, Space and Purpose, London, UK (Group)
2024, Elevenses, Five Fold and Ugly Duck, London, UK (Group)
2024, GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS, Shug Gallery, Norfolk, UK (Group)
2023, Brierley and Seiler Two Day Show, The White Space, London, UK (Group)
2022, Camberwell Degree Showcase, Camberwell College of Arts, London, UK (Group)
2022, Camberwell College of Arts Painting Exhibition, Southwark Park Gallery, London, UK (Group)
2022, North London Art Collective Summer Exhibition, Stoke Newington Library Gallery, London, UK (Group)
2021, Iris Avenue Opening, Iris Avenue Beauty Bar, London, UK (Solo)
2021, Camberwell College of Arts 2nd Year Painting Virtual Exhibition, Online (Group) 2019, Leeds 1st Year Exhibition, University of Leeds, UK (Group)
2019, DIVERGENCE, Young Female Artist Exhibition, Goodness Brewery, London, UK (Group)
2019, COMFY, Young Female Artist Exhibition, Open Source Arts, Leeds, UK (Group)
2018, Camberwell College of Arts Foundation Show, Camberwell College of Arts, London, UK (Group)