A Personal History of Pyromania
Combining my writing, photography and ceramic work, I've created an essay for performance, directed by David McGovern, which will tour to festivals and venues in 2026 and beyond. It's an intimate, darkly comic work that reflects on the meanings and functions of fire in life and art. Moving between childhood experiments with homemade fireworks, family and national history and my novel, Deep Burn, I trace a lifelong fascination with flame.
Combining live reading, projected media, sound and ceramics, the piece considers fire as a force of attraction, creation, remembrance and release. Funded by the Arts Council's Project Award Literature.
WRITING
My debut novel, Deep Burn, publishes in 2025 (blurb further below). You can pre-order a copy from the publisher, Marrowbone Books. In 2015, I wrote At Swim: A Book About the Sea, published by We Are Here, then reprinted in 2016 by Collins Press. As a writer and curator, my fiction and non-fiction have appeared in The Stinging Fly, Channel, the Honest Ulsterman, the Irish Times, the Guardian, and Sunday Times among others. I've participated in and chaired events at literary festivals across Ireland, showcasing my work as an artist, and I have appeared on national radio, including Arena and the Brendan O'Connor show. Additionally, I have experience as an editor and photographer, further enriching my creative journey.
EDITORIAL
I'm the founder, director, editor, and curator of Holy Show – an arts journal and production company. As an artist, I have produced numerous print journals and toured 'live audiovisual essays' for stage, collaborating with writer Sara Baume and photographer Ian Maleney. Holy Show is funded by the Arts Council. www.holyshow.ie.
I am about to embark on a print project that will collect and enliven five public art projects commissioned by Kilkenny Arts Office, which will also serve as a print archive of each commission.
CURATION
I've curated and produced two multi-disciplinary exhibitions as a curator – at Pallas Projects (2023) and the Museum of Literature Ireland (2024). As an emerging curator in public arts at Kilkenny Arts Office, I will also work as an editor and writer on a print archival project for five upcoming public art commissions in 2025-2027, collaborating with various artists and photographers.
PHOTOGRAPHY
As an artist and photographer, I began my journey with At Swim nearly ten years ago, capturing various locations and adventures while documenting numerous artistic projects. Currently, I utilize a Sony A7iii camera paired with a Sigma 28–70mm F2.8 lens. You can explore more of my work on my Instagram page, where I also share insights as a writer and curator.
CERAMICS
As a studio member at Throwing Shapes, I’m currently building several key objects from my novel, Deep Burn. As a writer and curator, I’ve designed some of these pieces to appear on the cover, while others will be burned or exploded (and photographed) within the narrative. You can see more of my work as an artist on my Instagram page here.
POLICY, SELECTION PANELS, PROJECTS
Pay & Conditions policy documents with Match in the Dark and Words Ireland, focusing on the needs of artists, curators, editors, photographers, and writers. EDI policy development and survey for Words Ireland. Selection panels, including representatives from Kilkenny, Westmeath, and South Dublin Arts Offices. Chaired numerous judging panels for the National Mentoring Programme, supporting emerging artists and writers. Project management for Words Ireland and others, ensuring opportunities for various creative professionals.
EVENT PROGROGRAMMING
As an experienced artist and curator, I have served as a chair and moderator for various events and festivals. I produced two national tours of 'live audiovisual essays': Minor Monuments & The Alphabet of Birds. My work, Greatest Story Ever Told, was featured at the Dublin Book Festival, and I also organized Party Piece @ILFD. Additionally, I commissioned the Words Ireland Lecture Series and programmed the National Writers Conference at IMMA, showcasing my skills as an editor and writer.
PREVIOUSLY...
National Mentoring Programme, Creator & Co-ordinator | Artist and Writer at Words Ireland, Programmer and Co-ordinator | Co-Director of Match in the Dark | Editor at Oxford University Press, Production Editor | General Manager at the Irish Writers Centre | Founder and former-director of CreativeCareers.ie, supporting photographers and writers in their careers | Editorial Assistant at The Stinging Fly.
COPY & PASTE BIOG
Brendan Mac Evilly is the author of the novel Deep Burn (Marrowbone Books 2025) and At Swim: A Book About the Sea (Collins Press 2016). His fiction and non-fiction has appeared in Winter Papers, The Stinging Fly, Channel, the Honest Ulsterman, the Guardian, the Irish Times, and Sunday Times among other outlets. He is the director/editor of Holy Show, an annual arts journal and production company, and is the current Emerging Curator in Development at Kilkenny Arts Office.
DEEP BURN (Marrowbone Books, 2025)
‘The curator wants to know if there’s a limit to what she will burn? Will she really burn anything?’
‘Of course,’ Vinny replied, ‘anything you like.’
In a small seaside village in South Kerry, Martha Knox, an artist, has developed an unlikely career burning emotionally charged objects and photographing the results. Her clients, including writers and collectors, travel from far and wide with things they need her to destroy. But her new relationships with these individuals become increasingly complicated with the arrival of curator Kingsley Masozi-Kohler, who is considering her work for his renowned Berlin Biennale.
This surreal story explores themes of fame, love, contemporary art, and professional envy, as the photographer navigates her evolving role in the art world.
Buy a copy at Marrowbone Books.