aemi & SIRIUS Commission 2023: Lisa Freeman

Published date: 24 Feb 2023

A studio portrait of filmmaker Lisa Freeman taken at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios in Dublin, Ireland. Lisa is seated on a cushioned chair in the center of the image. Behind her, various images from her film work and other photographs are visible. To Lisa's left, there is a shelf with many notebooks and a plant. Lisa is wearing green and black boots, dark trousers and a dark blazer, with a blue tshirt. Her posture is relaxed but confident, as she leans forward with her legs apart and rests her chin on her right hand while looking directly into the camera.

aemi / SIRIUS Commission 2023 recipient:
Lisa Freeman

aemi & SIRIUS are delighted to announce Lisa Freeman as the recipient of the jointly offered commission for 2023.

Lisa Freeman’s films and performances are set within specific geographic and architectural landscapes. They draw power structures into question and explore how intimacy might be employed as a form of resistance. For this commission, Lisa will use an intuitive approach to script writing to develop a narrative that is intrinsically tied to its physical setting. Exploring the tension and connection between architecture and the body, the film will foreground the light and dark shadows of urban space, where public and private moments come directly and uniquely into contact with one another.

Through the commission process, Lisa will receive a fee to create a new moving image work that will be exhibited at SIRIUS in 2024. She will have access to ongoing support and mentorship throughout the year from aemi and SIRIUS, as well as a residency at SIRIUS in Cobh.

Lisa comments: It’s an incredible opportunity to have this aemi and SIRIUS commission. I couldn’t be happier to be working with Alice, Daniel, Miguel and both teams as I develop my new film. It’s a dream to have both the freedom to create and to share in an ongoing dialogue around my work with both organisations. This commission marks a significant moment in my practice, where I’m excited to develop new work to show in film festivals and international contexts.

Lisa was recently awarded a three-year studio at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Dublin. Her recent projects include an online solo presentation on ‘aemi online’ (October 2022 – January 2023); Súitú – aemi’s 2023 touring programme, which premiered at Cork International Film Festival (November 2022) and is touring national and international venues in 2023; and an artist publication launch and screening at Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray (November 2022). Her film Slipped, Fell And Smacked My Face Off The Dance Floor was purchased for the Arts Council of Ireland Collection in 2022. Lisa has received support from Kildare County Council (2016, 2021) as well as a Project Award (2022) and Bursary Awards (2020, 2022) from The Arts Council. She completed an MA in Art & Research Collaboration at IADT, Dublin (2020).

This commission is made possible through support from The Arts Council.


A studio portrait of filmmaker Lisa Freeman

Supporting and Exhibiting Artists' and Experimental Moving Image in association with LUX, the Irish Film Institute and Temple Bar Gallery + Studios. Supported by the Arts Council.