Short Statement, Bio and Selected References
'Finding the absurd in everyday, often dysfunctional technologies and systems, and messing around with them, are key activities. There is a performative aspect to the interventions. Afterwards I exhibit photographic and video material, and selected digital or physical readymades.'
Past work has been presented, performed or shown in established venues including Matt’s Gallery and Whitechapel Gallery, London, and Crawford / CIT Wandesford Quay, Cork. An early series, Contra-Invention, formed part of Les Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie d’Arles and related contexts. Alongside such venues, the work has often been developed through artist-run spaces, project spaces, off-site activity, screenings and considered forms of online dissemination.
An Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Commissions Award supported the production of new work for the solo exhibition System Interference at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in 2022. The exhibition then travelled to Wexford Arts Centre and later to Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda, concluding in February 2024. The tour, initiated by Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, was supported by an Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Touring Award.
Philosopher of aesthetics John Roberts wrote a short book on the significance of this work in the broader context of technology art, Art, Misuse and Technology: Micheál O'Connell's 'System Interference' (2022). He later developed related arguments in talks and in the paper ‘Unfitting’, listed below. Since 2025, new experiments, discussions and collaborations have generated further work and, from 2026, full-time art practice in Ireland has resumed.
Old CVs and portfolios
Academic profile (to 2026), CV 2022, Portfolio 2019, Portfolio 2017, Complete Works 2014.
Selected writing, interviews and references
2023 – 2026
14-Jan-26 Communication & Society, Saulius Keturakis, Intersection of artificial stupidity, creativity, ethics
01-Oct-24 Nordic Journal of Aesthetics, John Roberts, Unfitting: Art & Labour from Conceptualisation to AI
01-Oct-24 Bulletin article, Micheál O'Connell, The London Group, ‘Car Parked’
01-Sep-23 Digital Art in Ireland: Reflections & Visuals, UCC and Sample Studios publication
30-Nov-23 Newspaper article, Irish Independent, ‘You can’t park there sir...’
06-Oct-23 Interview, Zoe Camper and Julie Samuels, Augmented Society Network exhibition
15-Aug-23 Interview, Jim Kealy, South East Radio, System Interference, Wexford Arts Centre
15-Aug-23 Newspaper article, Irish Independent, ‘New art installation... divides opinion’
30-Apr-23 Computers and Culture, UCC, article by Micheál O'Connell, Systems Interference: new work
2021 – 2022
08-Jan-23 Interview for The London Group, Sandra Crisp, A Question of Process
18-Sep-22 Review, criticismism II, Mark Sheerin, System Interference
17-Sep-22 Gallery discussion with Caroline Bassett, Stupidity, Dissent and the Machine
09-Sep-22 Book by John Roberts, Art, Misuse and Technology
20-Jul-22 Blog, West Cork Arts Centre, Micheál O'Connell, Mocksim at Uillinn
01-Jun-22 Presentation, Digital Art in Ireland, Micheál O'Connell, Systems Interference Art
17-Mar-22 Review / interview, Ali O'Shea, Tilting at Windmills, Kara Hearn and Mocksim
06-Dec-21 Review (micro-blog), Gallery Dodo, Jon Carritt and Dan Palmer, Instagram post
02-Jul-21 Interview, Uillinn Podcast, Gavin Buckley, Systems Interference Art
12-Jun-21 Interview, University of Sussex symposium, Jason Price, ‘Simupoems’ call-out, talk and Q&A
22-Jan-21 Interview, Hereford College of the Arts, Daniel Pryde-Jarman, Talk and Q&A
Earlier references
01-Aug-20 Article, Visual Artists Ireland Newsletter, Chris Steenson, Have a great time. Cool! Grand.
17-May-20 Interview, Isolation exhibition talk and Q&A, Darren Nisbett, Talk and Q&A
01-Jan-20 Article, Visual Artists Ireland Newsletter, Micheál O'Connell, Golf Courses as Wind Farms
21-Nov-19 Referenced, New Tactical Research, David Garcia, Beyond the Evidence
02-Oct-18 Referenced, Fifteen Questions music magazine, Daniel Hignell, Distant Animals
01-Feb-17 Referenced, Contra-Invention, Joan Fontcuberta, From Here On: Postphotography...
01-Jan-16 Referenced, Contra-Invention, Joan Fontcuberta, La furia de las imágenes, 2nd edition
17-Oct-15 Proceedings, CHART Conference, Micheál O'Connell, Poetics of the Supply Chain
06-Jun-14 Review, Writing in Relation, Yvette Gresle, Missing You and three other initiatives
11-Sep-13 Reviews, various writers in response to prints, Yearly Print project
26-Mar-13 Publication, InterArtive, Special Issue #50 Art + Copyright, Contra-Invention
25-Oct-12 Interview, UCC Radio's Artbeat, Don O'Mahony, Mocksim at Boundary Work II
14-May-12 Review, criticismism II, Mark Sheerin, Trainofthoughts @ The Horse Hospital
30-Aug-11 Review, criticismism II, Mark Sheerin, Contra-Invention
01-Jul-11 Catalogue, C. Chéroux, J. Fontcuberta, E. Kessels, M. Parr, Joachim Schmid, From Here On
01-Apr-11 Accompanying text, Time's Gold, Clément Chéroux, From Here On
16-May-11 Catalogue, Les Rencontres Arles Photography and Link 2
10-Mar-08 Review, Huw Bartlett, Feed Lack Loop
02-Dec-07 a-n Review, Rachel Lois Chapman, Micheál O’Connell’s ‘There is a Failing Man’