Elisa in Wonderland

After a period of rehabilitation, Elisa (Nora Ní Anluain Fay) returns to her ancestral home, Stradbally, where she is plagued by severe anxiety, mental illness, and addiction struggles. Despite the caring attention of Mary (Hilary Bowen-Walsh), the dedicated housekeeper, she begins to unravel as the line between reality and imagination blurs, and the paintings in her room come to life, drawing her into their surreal stories.

Inspired by “The Raven” and other works by Edgar Allan Poe, this powerful and unsettling cinematic experience delves into the human psyche to explore themes of loss, madness, and the dark forces within.

This second feature from internationally renowned visual artist Clea Van der Grijn was the 2023 recipient of the Arts Council Authored Works Award, presented in partnership with IFI.

Cléa van der Grijn is an internationally acclaimed visual artist and filmmaker who has resided in Sligo for the past fifteen years.

Her main focus is on the changes in perception caused by trauma and loss, and how these create opportunities for new ideas and the unraveling of memory. Van der Grijn’s paintings reflect a process-oriented philosophy that engages viewers with the idea of deconstruction. Her works feature uncoordinated compositions that intentionally show signs of use, highlighting their material nature.

There is a strong connection between Van der Grijn’s latest paintings and her film work, with each influencing the other. Her films and paintings explore the contrast between dreams and reality, crafting narratives where logic appears absurd, or absurdity becomes logical.

Van der Grijn’s recent paintings are closely connected to her film work, with each medium influencing the other in a synergistic way. Her visual and cinematic works examine the interplay between dreams and reality, creating narratives where the logical becomes absurd and the absurd gains a rational perspective. This thematic approach, blending the tangible with the intangible, highlights her unique contribution to contemporary art and film.

Her filmography includes three internationally recognized experimental short films: Reconstructing Memory, JUMP, and FLUX, each receiving multiple awards. Her second film, JUMP, was acquired by the Irish Museum of Modern Art in 2021, marking her influence on Ireland’s modern art scene. In 2024, her feature-length experimental drama The Disembodied Adventures of Alice premiered at the Irish Film Institute, earning numerous awards at international film festivals. Simultaneously, she held a solo exhibition, The Disembodied Adventures of Cléa, at the Solomon Gallery in Dublin, featuring her latest paintings. In 2024, Cléa collaborated with the international film collective alter ego, with her 15-minute film, Alice + Hare, included in the alter-ego feature that premiered in Berlin 2024. Her most recent feature film, Elisa in Wonderland, premiered at the IFI in February 2025, funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and the IFI Authored Works Award. Her latest series of paintings, Orbiva, opens at The Solomon in March 2025.

Besides her artistic work, van der Grijn is represented by Solomon Fine Art, Dublin (solomonfineart.ie), and founded her own production company, CléaFILMPRODUCTIONS, in 2022. Through her multidisciplinary work, van der Grijn continues to make significant contributions to both the art and film communities, encouraging audiences to critically engage with liminal spaces.