John O’Connell
John O’Connell is best known for his film animations, many of which are draw in. These take as their starting point the artist’s drawings, paintings, and miniature set designs. He also composes and plays piano for the animations’ melodic and soothing soundtracks. Straddling the line between real and fictional, process-based and result-oriented, these animated works 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.
O’Connell holds an MA from the Royal College of Art, London and a BA from the National College of Art, Dublin. He has been awarded several artists’ residencies and has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally. Most recently was a year long fellowship in Location1 New York, SIM in Iceland, Stiftung Starke in Berlin and The Watermill with Robert Wilson in New York.
O’Connell has been commissioned and supported by Wicklow County Council, Kildare County Council, and The Arts Council of Ireland through a New Work Award (2007) and Visual Artists Bursary award in (2011).