Jack O'Brien

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.