John O’Connell (Ireland)
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle EalaÃon
John O’Connell lives and works in Dublin. He holds an MA from the Royal College of Art, London and a BA from the National College of Art, Dublin. O’Connell has exhibited extensively in Europe, Ireland and in the USA employing a variety of working methods from drawing to sculpture and film.
Since graduating John has undertaken numerous residencies and has exhibited widely. Recent projects include: The Visitor, Riverbank Art Centre, Newbridge, Nothing Matters When Your Dancing, Stiftung Starke, Berlin (2009) Futures 09, Royal Hiberniam Accademy, Dublin (2009) Big Pink, Goethe Instuite, Dublin (2009)and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Westgermany, Berlin (2009).
In a recent publication Fragmenting the Mould – An analysis of sculptural practice in the work of a selection of artists from Ireland and the UK, Donal Maguire noted:
John O’Connell is a sculptor whose films, photographs, drawings, assemblages and installations form a complex series of interrelated objects that operate and acquire meaning within the private and make-believe universe that he has created. It is a surreal dimension, inspired by the world of dreams and the supernatural, where bizarre and fragmentary narratives develop according to an unfamiliar logic.
John O’Connell’s residency is supported by the Irish Arts Council