Hazel O’Sullivan’s new exhibition Circa Ré was inspired by medieval and prehistoric objects and illuminated manuscripts, especially the Book of Kells …
How do you define your work, and has your style changed over time?
My work is both reductive and constructive. I take visual elements from sources like the Book of Kells or objects in museums and filter them through a lens that’s rooted in geometry, minimalism and retrofuturism. I break things down, compartmentalise them, and rebuild them into new forms.
I used to be more influenced by minimalism and suprematism early on, but with the colour and detail I now work with, that label doesn’t quite stick. Bringing in Irish mythology and medieval references has definitely shifted the work. It’s emblematic, almost like a kind of device or architecture.
I like to create work that makes people pause and question timelines, history, and where these forms come from.
Who or what was a formative influence on your artistic journey?
My first instinct is to say my parents. They’ve always been a supportive force in my journey. I took a year out after my Leaving Cert to work and put together my portfolio for NCAD, and it was my mam who really pushed me to get it done. I’m very thankful for both of them.
In terms of my practice, a big turning point came during a trip to Berlin in my second year at NCAD. We saw a James Turrell exhibition at the Jewish Museum and also visited the Hamburger Bahnhof. It was the first time I became properly aware of space and architecture in relation to art, and it left a real mark on me. That experience made contemporary art feel exciting and accessible in a new way, and it was what pushed me to apply for an Erasmus year in Münster. That whole period shaped how I started thinking about what kind of work I wanted to make.
Circa Ré is full of historic references – where did it all begin?
It’s the biggest project I’ve taken on to date; all the work was made this year. It began with the paintings Droichead na Sidhe, commissioned by Focal Point Gallery for their annual Railway Bridge Commission in Southend-on-Sea in England. These were photographed, digitally edited, and printed onto 16-metre banners, now hanging on either side of a bridge until October.
Those paintings drew heavily from the Book of Kells, but I reimagined the details as portals or gateways to the Irish Otherworld. It was also my first time working with this particular palette of teal greens and steely grey-blue tones, which has carried into the rest of the work.
There are also sculptures in the show that explore my ongoing interest in Irish artefacts, especially ones I’ve encountered in the British Museum. One piece called Irish Disc: Unknown was based on a real object titled Irish Disc: Unknown Function. That piece has grown into a series of sculptures that reimagine this ambiguous disc through a retrofuturistic lens.
One of the paintings in the show, Winged-Beetle and Disc, references a Donegal carpet fragment from the V&A East Storehouse, where I work as floor manager. I played with the idea that the beetle’s disc in the painting could be our mystery disc from the museum, playing with the idea of misplaced or misread objects and imagined functions.
A lot of the work also ties into Irish mythology, especially in the titles. The exhibition title, Circa Ré, is a mix of Latin and Irish that loosely references time and ancient manuscripts. I wanted the whole show to feel like it exists on a parallel timeline where time and space don’t follow the usual rules.
How and where do you usually work?
At the moment, I’m back working from home and the library, doing a lot of drawing and prep work. When I have a studio, I like being in buildings with other artists and really value the sense of community that comes from that, even if it’s just online or on group chats.
You recently co-curated a show of Irish artists in London. How did that come about?
I co-curated with Ciarán MacDomhnaill, who I met while working as a Gallery Host at the Serpentine in London. I wanted to organise a group show of Irish artists for a while, so not long after we met we spotted an open call from Hypha Studios. They offered a temporary space in Mayfair in a former Aston Martin showroom.
Ciarán had studied curation at the Royal College of Art and had put on some great shows in Ireland, including a drag show on a boat, which I thought was iconic. We applied and were awarded the space for free for a short period, so we put the show together on a shoestring. No funding, just out of pocket, but I think we pulled off something solid.
The show was called In The Press, which played on the difference between Irish and British English, like how we say “kitchen press” instead of “cupboard.” We invited each artist to submit a work along with something personal from their own kitchen press, and we displayed those items in the showroom cabinets. The artists were people I knew from NCAD or followed online and included Carl Hickey, Chloe Austin, Ciana Taylor, Enda Burke, Farouk858, Hilary Kennedy, Kelly Ewing, Richard Malone, Spicebag, Venus Patel, a performance by Sam Wallace and myself. I was nervous reaching out, but thankfully everyone jumped on board. It ended up being a really proud moment.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
In the studio, it’s the satisfaction of a good day’s work. That feeling of having earned your evening rest after putting in the hours is rewarding. There’s nothing like getting into a good rhythm and seeing progress.
Beyond that, what I value most is the community. Especially in London, I’m surrounded by artists balancing creative work with day jobs, and we’ve all become resourceful. We share contacts, tools, advice. We help each other figure out how to make things work with limited budgets and time. There’s also a great community online, especially through Instagram, where everyone’s supporting each other’s work.
Watching friends and peers succeed is one of the best feelings. It’s like a quiet kind of pride, seeing people from your own scene doing well.
Need to know: Circa Ré by Hazel O’Sullivan opens at Kerlin Gallery in Dublin 2 on August 28; @hazelosullivanart
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