If you’re curious about the ideas reflected in my work, I’ve gathered an evolving collection of books, articles, podcasts, and videos that underpin my practice here.
grounded and winged
This work acknowledges the wildlife and plantlife that nourished a 5-month residency immersed in the woodland oasis of Byrdcliffe Colony in Woodstock, NY.
Kelly M O'Brien, Grounded and Winged (detail). Cast mycelium, cotton cord, wool, foraged wood, fruit, recycled tin, monofilament, paper. 140 h x 220 w x 168 inches ©2023
Kelly M O’Brien, Ecotopia Conversation, artist sketch ©2023
ecotopia conversation
This outdoor installation was in response to Byrdcliffe Colony architectural ruins during my artist residency, Summer 2023. Exploring dry stone stacking techniques, I used cast blocks of live mycelium — known for its remedial properties in ecosystems — to extend the stone plinths that once supported a porch off the front of Villetta, the main residence hall.
The title is inspired by Ecotopia a novel by Ernest Callenbach (1975) about an ecological utopia that was influential on the counterculture and green movements in the 1970s.
materiality of care
Having recently relocated from 12 years overseas back to the US, I’m spending the summer rehoming myself and my art practice in the Hudson Valley, NY. Working with biomaterials, I am developing objects and installations that communicate shelter, interconnectedness, and innovative approaches to care and repair for our natural world.
This series title is inspired by Matters of Care by Maria Puig de la Bellacasa.
Kelly M O’Brien, Materiality of Care, Upstate Art Weekend at Byrdcliffe, installation view. 2023
Kelly M O’Brien, Pollinator Sanctuary. Cast mycelium, wool, cotton cord, wood. 280 x 58 x 58 cm ©2022
pollinator sanctuary
Pollinator Sanctuary is a new outdoor sculpture commissioned by Somerset Art Works at Deer Leap Nature Reserve in the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The installation collaborates with nature, including living mycelium (fungi roots), wild pollinators, and plantlife.
ruderal series
Made while artist in residence at PADA Studios, Barreiro, Portugal. Surrounded by the the vast post-industrial ruins of the Companhia União Fabril (CUF) which was one of the largest and oldest Portuguese conglomerates from the 1930s to 1974 and later a chemical company, this series is site-responsive.
Kelly M O'Brien, Rudera. Wood, found object (plastic), ice plant. 44 x 100 x 113 cm ©2022
Kelly M O'Brien, Deconstructed Ecosystem. Wood, mycelium, hemp, wildflowers, bird nest, beeswax, thread, glass. 250 x 52 x 52 cm ©2022
deconstructed ecosystem
A functioning ecosystem requires a symbiosis of elements, creatures, and conditions. A wildflower meadow ecosystem is a never-ending cycle of cooperation among plantlife, non-human, and human players. If a ‘natural’ grassland is uncut or ungrazed it will rewild, with stronger plants crowding out the more delicate. A light, discriminate hand supports a healthy habitat, giving pollinators and birds a chance to thrive.
Made while artist in residence at PADA Studios, Barreiro, Portugal.
One Meter Quadrat
One meter quadrat is a unit of measure for field research in ecology. It is a manageable way to count the number of species within a 1 meter square patch of ground that can then be repeated and generalized to a larger area.
This is the first piece in a new body of work inspired by learning more about wildflower meadows and the role of these species-rich habitats in biodiversity and climate repair.
Kelly M O'Brien, One Meter Quadrat, detail. Mycelium, thistle seed heads ©2021
Kelly M O’Brien, Lockdown Studies 14 May 2020. Jesmonite, matcha powder, silicone, allium petals, paper. 12 x 17 x 7 cm ©2020
LOCKDOWN STUDIES
From April 2020 to Spring 2021, work made in my home studio at the height of COVID 19.
The longer we followed social distance rules, the more staying engaged with my materials kept me grounded.
Working steadily on a small scale was instructive, allowing me to cycle through concept, failure, and resolution nimbly and quickly.
There was agency and satisfaction in the process at a time when much was out of our control.
Kelly M O’Brien, This May Be Under the Stated Weight (Aftermath), installation view. Steel, glass, paper, thread, tulle, plastic. 230 x 350 x 122 cm ©2019
Degree Work, Master of Fine Art
Mixed media objects created during my MFA research 2018 - 2020.
A GATHERING OF UNASKED POSSIBILITY
A collaborative project co-launched with curator Judith Rodgers in 2019, Unasked calls for a progressive response to our contemporary moment of precarity - climate, political, economic, social - that resists the pull of anger and despair. Our aim is to create a propositional space with breathing room for alternative ways of thinking, expressing, and being.
The inaugural Unasked was an exhibition and series of events by artists, researchers, and activists who interrogate these issues through their practices.
The next Unasked is confirmed for 1st - 6th October 2024 at APT Gallery, London.
