Brendan O’Brien
Brendan O’Brien lives on a hillside above Evans Bay, Wellington. He currently works from a home workshop where he maintains a stream of various collage based art projects; alongside this he makes use of an assortment of old printing equipment for book related work. Brendan was the resident artist at the Rita Angus Cottage (2000-2002), there he established the Fernbank Studio imprint for hand-printed books. He was the Printer in Residence at Otago University in 2005 where he collaborated with Ralph Hotere and Bill Manhire to hand-print an edition, Pine; in 2019 he worked with Poet Laureate Selina Tusitala Marsh and artist Fatu Feu’u to create Trio Tokotoko.
Brendan held his first exhibition of collage at Neil Rowe’s BAM space in 2000 and his work has been featured in many exhibitions nationally and internationally since; his most recent solo exhibition was Stone among stones at Bowen Galleries in 2021. His work is held in many collections including the Wellington City Council Collection, the Alexander Turnbull Library, the James Wallace Collection and the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne.
Solo Exhibitions
- Stone among stones, 2021
- On finding something missing in the view, 2017
- Field mountains, 2012
- A working kitchen, 2010
Group Exhibitions
- Wrapped, 2023
- You won’t believe your eyes…a visual miscellany, 2023
- About time, 2021
- Wrapped, 2015
- Artist books on music, 2014
- More about a tree, 2014
Brendan O'Brien, Visions from the great awakening, 2021, antique engravings, pencil and ink, 247 x 200 mm $1650
Brendan O'Brien, Music for a demolition, 2021, antique engravings, pencil, and ink, 244 x 184 mm $1650
Brendan O'Brien, On the lake (after Christian Morclay), 2017, collage, ink and pencil, 265 x 265 mm $1650
Brendan O'Brien, Air and stone, 2017, collage, pencil and ink, 265 x 265 mm $1650
Brendan O'Brien, Fallen house, 2021, antique engravings, pencil, and ink, 166 x 269 mm $1650