,
Mayfair, London ,
Bristol O'Connell has been commissioned to make public sculptures throughout the UK and Ireland. She is a founder director of the
National Sculpture Factory (Cork); a member of
Aosdána and the
Royal Hibernian Academy; and a former member of the
Arts Council of Ireland. Her honours include the Art & Work Award from Wapping Arts Trust, and
Royal Society of Arts Award (1998). O'Connell's works were displayed at the
Biennale de Paris (1982) and the
São Paulo Art Biennial (1985). She has received fellowships from
The British School at Rome and
PS 1 in New York. The artist's 1988 work "
The Great Wall of Kinsale is one of the most contentious public artworks ever erected in Ireland." Composed of several sections and forms, it is also the longest sculpture in Ireland at 179 feet. The large rusted steel sculpture drew protest, concerns of safety, an attempt to deinstall it, and criticism of its appearance. Eventually, the rusty metal was painted, a water feature was added, and barriers were placed around it without O'Connell's permission. As such, she considers the work to have been "destroyed". She exhibited sculptures at
Eileen Gray's
E-1027 house in France in 2018. O'Connell's work is in the collections of
IMMA,
Lismore Castle,
Cass Sculpture Foundation,
Chatsworth,
Antony House and more. ==See also==