Jack O’Brien
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Biography
Born 1993 in London, UK
Lives and works in London, UK
Jack O'Brien's work is grounded in a subtle interplay of material, personal experience, and cultural critique. His installations evoke a sense of precarity, reflecting both the physical and social fragility of the structures he constructs. O'Brien's sculptures are often informed by rapidly transforming urban landscapes that have shaped his understanding of space, and the social dynamics that unfold within these environments. The artist stretches found and repurposed objects to the point of abstraction, surrounding them with the material of consumer society: shrink wrap, epoxy, fabric, cable ties and PETG plastic. For O'Brien, this act of binding is more than a formal gesture; it mirrors the complexities of human relationships, where identities intertwine, merge, and evolve.
O'Brien is particularly interested in destabilizing the fixed nature of objects, forcing rigid materials like metal and glass into confrontations that evoke a sense of unease. His sculptures create a tension between hardness and softness, between impenetrable materials and malleable fabrics. Through these material clashes, O'Brien challenges notions of form and function with works that appear charged with nervous energy, as if on the verge of collapse. This precariousness becomes a metaphor for the broader, often fraught, dynamics of identity, particularly within the context of queer cultural histories and the lineage of queer abstraction. The artist employs abstraction not to obscure meaning, but to open up new ways of engaging with political and personal narratives. His use of materials as 'eloquent texts' imbues his sculptures with cultural significance.
Jack O'Brien's solo and duo exhibitions include Camden Art Centre, London (2024); Between Bridges, Berlin (2023); Sans Titre Invites, Paris (2023); Lockup International, London (2022); Polamagnetczne Gallery, Warsaw (2022) and Ginny on Frederick, London (2021). Group exhibitions include Non-Specific Objects, Capitain Petzel, Berlin (2024); Support Structures, Gathering, London, (2023); Memory of Rib, N/A Gallery, Seoul, KR (2022); Something is Burning, Kunsthalle Bratislava (2022) and An Insular Rococo, Hollybush Gardens, London (2022).
As the 2023 recipient of Camden Art Centre’s Emerging Artist Prize at Frieze, Jack O’Brien’s solo exhibition The Reward is currently on view at Camden Art Centre in London. The artist will participate in a group exhibition at the CAPC Bordeaux in November 2024. His first a solo exhibition at Capitain Petzel will open in January 2025.
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Works
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Jack O’BrienAllowance, 2024Sousaphones, Barbican Centre street light, PVC coated steel rope, PETG plastic and aluminium armature wire106 x 150 x 60 cm
41.7 x 59 x 23.6 inches
Pinault Collection, Paris -
Jack O’BrienLead Eye, 2024Tenor horn, chrome-plated steel, PETG Plastic, electrical cabling, stockinette and spray paint56 x 24 x 41 cm
22 x 9.4 x 16.1 inches -
Jack O’BrienPhaedrus, 2024Cellos, cellophane, chrome-plated steel, spray paint, seat-belt webbing, bolts, shock cord133 x 110 x 45 cm
52.4 x 43.3 x 17.2 inches -
Jack O’BrienPassage, 2023Soft pastel, spray paint, photographic print mounted on aluminium, heat-formed PETG plastic, aluminium pipe, butchers netting118.9 x 84.1 x 22 cm
46.8 x 33.1 x 8.7 inches -
Jack O’BrienReturn, 2023Soft pastel, spray paint, photographic print mounted on aluminium, heat-formed PETG plastic, aluminium pipe, butchers netting118.9 x 84.1 x 22 cm
46.8 x 33.1 x 8.7 inches -
Jack O’BrienHorizon, 2024Street lamp, rubber coated webbing, plastic grapes, PVC, elasticated stockinette, shelving unit222.3 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm
87.5 x 12 x 12 inches -
Jack O’BrienChasm, 2023Cello scrolls, PVC pipe, silver spoons, cellophane, elasticated stockinette, spray paint23 x 94 x 25 cm
9 x 37 x 9.8 inches -
Jack O’BrienSwimmer, 202361 x 15 x 102 cm
24 x 5.9 x 40.1 inches -
Jack O’BrienWhat has become, 2023Wooden banisters, chrome plated ball, ribbon, builders bar, cellophane, spray paint16 x 130 x 10 cm
6.3 x 51.2 x 4 inches -
Jack O’BrienCurtain, 2023Wood, chrome-plated steel, wire mesh, wine glass, epoxy putty, acrylic plastic, spray paint, cellophane76 x 19 x 3 cm
29.9 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches -
Jack O’BrienThe already choking fields, 2023Chrome plated-steel17 x 15 x 15 cm
6.6 x 5.9 x 5.9 inches -
Jack O’BrienFuga, 2023Broken cello, oak slats, rug, cellophane, chrome plated-steel, cardboard, spray paint, fence post spikes149 x 221 x 45 cm
58.6 x 87 x 17.7 inches -
Jack O’BrienAuguste, 2023Double bass, chrome-plated steel, Venetian blind, aluminium, cellophane, spray paint, concrete183 x 173 x 63 cm
72 x 68.1 x 24.8 inches -
Jack O’BrienLure II, 2023Chrome plated-steel, honey, glass, cellophane32 x 12 x 12 cm
12.6 x 4.7 x 4.7 inches
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Exhibitions
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External Exhibitions
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