ABOUT

Méadhbh O’Connor (“Maeve”) born Dublin, Ireland, 7 June 1984, currently working between Ireland and France. I am a visual artist whose work explores the intersections of art, science, technology and eco futurism. In my work I attempt to collide the poetic and the analytic, the spiritual and the technological, the expressive and the restrained, the natural and the engineered; in an effort to find resonance amongst these different registers. I use sculptural and multimedia installation art, image-making, and the written and spoken word.

For many years I have been driven by a deep interest in science and the environment which has led me to immerse myself in scientific communities. This is due to identifying with scientific thinking and a panentheistic perspective I hold that sees all of nature in terms of a single overarching structure.

I am currently interested in speculations on the possibility of spiritual, non-corporeal or higher dimensional aspects to existence. I draw inspiration from theories in quantum physics and other sciences, seeking to find points of agreement between, for example, new theories in physics and persistent ideas that come up across religions and other spiritual practices. 

I spent a number of years contributing to Ireland’s growing art, science and environmental movement. I was twice awarded the Artist in Residence Award (in 2013 and by invitation in 2017) at the College of Science, University College Dublin. Amongst other projects, From 2020 to 2023 I collaborated with Harish Bhaskaran, Professor of Applied Nanomaterials, at the University of Oxford as an invited artist member of his research group. See alt space for more.

I have shown in many exhibitions in Ireland and internationally often of environmental themes. Brief examples include ‘Talamh agus Teanga: Land and Language in Contemporary Irish Art,’ Museum of Fine Art, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA, 2024; ‘Parklife: Biodiversity in Irish Art,’ The Glucksman, Cork, IRL, 2022; ‘New Era, Exploring Climate Change,’ Solstice Arts Centre, Meath, Ireland, 2020; ‘Climate Simulator,’ Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Ireland, 2018 (solo); ‘Eco-connectivity,’ Berlin Science Week, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 2018; ‘Antarctic Pavilion‘ at the 57th Venice Biennale of Art, Italy, 2017 (selected by Alexander Ponomarev, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Hani Rashid, Sheikha Hoor al-Qasimi & Nadim Samman); and ‘What is Life?,’ Wexford Arts Centre and Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, 2018 (on the occasion of Schrödinger 75).

My work has received multiple funding awards from The Arts Council of Ireland. I hold a Masters of Fine Art from the Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. 

For a list of selected exhibitions and other experience, please see my C.V.