The State of Her

Luan Gallery is proud to announce a live performance of “The State of Her” by artist and activist Dee Mulrooney. This compelling 70-minute performance features Mulrooney's alter ego, Growler—an 85-year-old alchemic vulva. Through narrative, spoken word, live music, song, and humor, she transforms grief into ceremony, creating an immersive experience that addresses themes of trauma, resilience, and female strength.

This performance is part of the ongoing group exhibition Soft Surge, also featuring Mulrooney’s art video “The State of Her.” The video critically engages with the legacy of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes, making the live performance even more poignant given the current exhumation at Tuam.

The Scotsman hailed Mulrooney's performance in a five-star review, describing it as possessing “raw emotional power” and a “visceral, unforgettable exploration of loss.” Audiences have reported leaving the space filled with catharsis, a fitting testament to Mulrooney’s remarkable ability to foster connection through her art.

Dee Mulrooney is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work spans painting, drawing, film, storytelling, and performance. She explores themes of identity, exile, class, displacement, and the profound experience of inhabiting a female body. With a deep commitment to authenticity, her work is unflinching in its exploration of difficult subjects—such as abuse, loss, and trauma—using art as a tool for alchemical transformation.

Growler is Dee Mulrooney’s alter-ego and performance piece. She is an 82-year-old drum-banging shamanic vulva living in exile. Inhabiting Growler, Dee delves into the depths of woman. Growler freely speaks her mind on taboo topics like sexuality, religion, and sexual violence. Driven out of her home by eviction and poverty of life, Growler has appointed herself the voice of the scorned, forgotten woman. Through a combination of wit, love, tenderness, and the hard-earned wisdom, safety, and experience of an elder, she explores the flexible and multifarious possibilities of women‘s sovereignty.