Denis O Connor MRSS

Denis O’Connor was born in Dublin and brought up in Millstreet, Co Cork; I work and live between Wirksworth, Derbyshire and Barna, West Cork. 

I trained at Limerick School of Art from  and the University of Central England. My practice is two- fold  has is divided between working as lead artist with the public art company, Sculpture Works and developing his own private sculpture work.

My public art practice involves working with a variety of public spaces and audiences creating dynamic site- specific sculptures that capture the essence of each place and audience I work with. Over the last twenty-five years I, have produced artworks for both urban and rural sites within the private and public sectors in the UK and Ireland. 

I have through my own private practice in sculpture explored references around loss, sadness and longing.  These references are in part autobiographical reflecting on elements of my own history, growing up in Ireland in the 1960’s, living in two countries and asking the question  ‘where is home’.  The Sculpture sets out to create conservations and responses to how I give meaning to my understanding of the human condition and the world we live in. I have investigated different social, political and personal histories with reference to place, context and landscape.

My practice in sculpture is informed by a formal and critical knowledge of constructed form, materials, processes andscale.  Making is central to how I work it defines both the aesthetic and contextual. 

Public Art Commissions

2024         Salt Glaze, Heaton Court, Chesterfield. Chesterfield Borough Council

2024         Place Finder, Kingsway, Derby, Derby City Council, Sustrans

2023/24     Botanical, Manor, Kingsway, Derby, Tilia Homes 

2022         West Kerry, FDC Group, Tralee

2022         Leek Heritage, Gateway, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council 

2021         The Salt Road, Saltergate, Chesterfield, A R Rock Homes

2021         We are Derby Art Heritage and Sport Panels, Meadow Land footbridge A52 Derby, Derby City Council

2020         Native Trees, Suir Blueway Gateways, Clonmel, Tipperary County Council

2020         Ranunculus acris and Stellaria holostea, Charnwood Borough Council and Davis Homes, Shepshed, Loughborough

2019         This is our land, Augusta Park Andover, Test Valley District Council

2018         The Steel Tree, Formarke School, Derbyshire 

2018         The Ouse and other stories, the Junction, Goole

2017          Sceach Geal, St Josephs School, Dundalk, Louth County Council

2017          Sweet Peas, Architectural installation, Chesterfield Borough Council

2016          The Tree with Lightbulbs, Leicester City Council, J Sainsburys, Leicester

2015          Revealing Castleward, Castleward, Derby. Compendium Living and Derby City Council

2014          R100, Howden Civic Society, and the National Lottery, Howden,Yorkshire

2014         Tools for building, Ribble Canal Millennium Link Sculpture, Canal and Riverside Trust, Preston

2013          Fern Fragments, Newcastle City Council, Hodgkin Park, Newcastle

2013          Direction 1 and 2, Prestatyn Railway Station, Network Rail and Prestatyn Town Council

2012          Rope Works, Howdon Library building, external and internal Sculpture works, North Tyneside Council

2012          Dei, Dag and Dah, West Bridge Wharf Public Realm works, Living in the City and Leicester City Council

2012          Without Place, Queen Street Gateway Project, SAFLE and Cardiff City Council

2012          Time Layers, Caherciveen Town Center, Kerry County Council

2012          Turas seo caite, Grattan Quay redevelopment, Waterford City Council

2011     River Lines, the Junction Arts Centre, Goole, Buschow Henley Architects, Goole Town Council and the Na-tional Lottery

2011     Sweet Water Arch, Gateway Sculpture, Creative Legacies Commission, Belfast City Council, Stranmillis, Belfast

2009     Football Stories, Strata Homes, Baseball Ground Housing Project, Derby

2009     Raven Tree,Termonfeckin, Louth County Council,

2009     Tree Stories, Site-Specific Sculpture for Forest Park, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent City Council,

2008       Silk Bobbins, Sculpture Intervention and Lighting, for St Alkmunds Pedestrian Bridge, Derby

2008       Propeller, Morrissons Food store in association S M C Gower Architects, and Morrissions, Speke, Liverpool

2008       Morning Star and Rivers and Castles, two Sculptures for the Donegal / Strabane H.E.A.RT Project, sited in Ballyshannon and Newtonstewart  

2008     Dream Gates, Aishling Park, Murray and Associates Landscape Architects and Dundalk Town Council

2007           Industry, British Airways Distribution, Radial Point, Stoke-on-Trent

2006       The Last Oak Tree, N30 Sculpture, Clonroche, NRA and Wexford County Council,

2006       Elements, Sure Start Big Building, in partnership with Derek Trowell Architects, Normanton, Derby

2006       Tower 4, Burghley House Sculpture Gardens, Stamford

2006       Privilege, Stoke Approach, Advantage West Midlands, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Etruria

2006       Towers 1.2.3, Site Specific Sculptures, the National Stone Centre, Wirksworth Art and Architecture Festival

2005       The Maigue, N20 Sculpture, Croom By-pass, NRA and Limerick County Council,

2004       Summer Fruit, Derwent Housing Association, and Chesterfield Borough Council

2003       Hurlers and Lost Industries, two Sculptures for the Blackpool By-Pass, NRA and Cork Corporation

2002       Factory Memoirs, Robinson Special Packaging Company and Chesterfield Borough Council

2001       Lost Foliage, Sinfin Single Regeneration Project, Derby City Council

2000       Fables, Royal Mail Buildings, Pervril Securities and Chesterfield Borough Council

1999       Crusade and The Village, two Sculptures for Keele By-Pass, Staffordshire County Council

1997       Ark,The National Garden Festival, Festival Park, Shelton Bar, Stoke-on-Trent

Solo Exhibitions

2024      In my time, LHQ Gallery, Cork

2022      In our time, Working Artists Studios Gallery, Ballydehob, West Cork

2019 Along the Western Shore, Siamsa Tire Gallery, Tralee

2019      Mythologies of Tomorrow, Les Salles Lavauguyon, France 

2018 Along the Western Shore, Doswell Gallery, Roscarberry

2017 An Bhollain,  New Court Gallery, Repton

2014 Defining a Line, Derby Museum and Art Gallery

2010 Denis O’Connor, ‘Sculpture’, Burghley Sculpture Garden, Stamford.

2007 Documented Public Works and Maquettes, Parish Rooms Gallery, Wirksworth Art and Architecture Trail

2003 New Sculpture, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen

2000 New Sculpture, CIT Gallery, Cork

1999 New Sculpture, Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh

1991 Constructed Works, the City Gallery, Leicester

             The Phoenix Arts Centre, Leicester

1989 Constructed Works, Markeaton Park Gallery, Derby

             Derby City Museum and Art Gallery, Derby

1987 Abbey Park Residency Exhibition, Leicester

1986 Loughborough College of Art, Loughborough

1985 The Jaguar Car Residency and other works, Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry

1985 Residency Exhibition, South Nottinghamshire College of Further Education

             Nottingham Artists Showcase, Castle Museum, Nottingham

1985 West Midlands Arts Council, Artist in Industry Residency Exhibition, Jaguar Cars, Coventry

Group Exhibitions 

2024      Skibbereen Arts Festival, Open studio, Barna, West Cork

2021      House, Burghley Sculpture Garden, Stamford 

2019      Made in Wirkswworth, the Maltings Gallery, Wirksworth Art and Architecture Trail

2018 Otherworldly, Burghley Sculpture Garden, Stamford

2018 Art of Industry, Derby Museums and Art Gallery

2015 The Art of Transformation, Wirksworth Festival, Curated Exhibition

2012 University of Derby Staff Exhibition, Markeaton Campus, Derby

2011 OSTRALE‘011, Dresden, Germany

2011 A Decade of Sculpture in the Garden. Harold Martin Botanic Garden, Leicester

2010 Heart Head and Hands. Richard Attenborough Centre University of Leicester

2008 Figure, Burghley Sculpture Garden, Stamford

2005 C2, Contemporary Art from Cork, Crawford Municipal Gallery, Cork

2002 Prague Revisited, Green Lane Gallery, Derby

2001 Berlin Revisited, Banks Mill Studio Gallery, Derby

1993 Wyre Forest District Council, Bewdley, Worcesthire

1992 Ground Work Trust, Amber Valley, Derbyshire

1988 Henry Cavendish School, Derby

1987 Irish Arts Council, Artis in Schools Residency, Millstreet Community School, County Cork

1987 Derbyshire County Council, Lea Green Centre, Matlock

1985 West Midlands Arts Council, Artists in Industry, Jaguar Cars, Coventry

1984-85 East Midlands Arts Council, Sculpture Residency, South Notts College of F.E Nottingham

1983-84  East Midlands Arts Sculpture Residency, South Notts College of F.E, Nottingham

1984-85 Warwickshire Education Authority, Artist in Schools Project Art link, Moseley Hall Hospital, Birmingham

1985     West Midlands Arts, Artists in Industry, Jaguar Cars, Coventry Castle Museum, Nottingham

1986 Leicester Education Authority, Bureligh College, Loughborough

1986 Nottinghamshire Education Authority, Combined Arts Project

1987 Irish Arts Council, Millstreet Community School, County Cork

Awards

2011 Derby Baseball Ground Sculpture, Derby Civic Society, George Larkin Brighter City Award

2010 RIBA Award (community award) Commission for the Junction Arts Center, Goole

2009 Institute of Civil Engineers, East Midlands Merit Award St Alkmund’s Bridge Commission, Derby

2008 British Association of Landscape Awards Central Forest Park Commission, Stoke-on-Trent

2008 Creative Legacies Award, Belfast City Council

2007 Architectural Design Award, ‘Privilege’ Commission, Stoke on Trent City Council

1991 East Midlands Arts, Publications Award

1986 East Midlands Arts, Studio Practice Bursary

1987 Arts Council of Ireland. Artists in Schools Bursary

1984 West Midlands Arts, Artists in Industry Award with Jaguar Cars

1982 Bowen Mullally Award, S.A.D.E. Crawford Gallery, Cork

1982 Alumina Ireland Sculpture Award

Publications / Reviews / Films

2020      Art not History, Denis O Connor – film

2020      Made in Wirksworth – film

2019      Made in Wirksworth – catalogue

2018       Heavenly Bodies, Burghley Sculpture Garden, Burghley

2016       Defining a Line - catalogue

2016       Defining a Line - film

2014       Propulsion, Rolls Royce Heritage Collection, Derby

Residencies

2014       Propulsion Residency, Rolls Royce Heritage Collection, Derby 

2013       Land Matters Residency, the National Trust Ilam Hall, Stafforshire 

2007       Donegal Strabane Heart Sculpture Trail

2003-17   The National Trust Ilam Hall, Stafordshire

1998-99   The National Sculpture Factory, Cork

1994   The National Forest, Donnisthorpe, Leicestershire

1992-93   Warwickshire Education Authority, Artist in Schools project 

1991/94   The National Trust, Calke Abbey, Derbyshire

               Wyre Forest District Council, Bewdley, Worcestshire     

               Ground Work Trust, Amber Valley, Derbyshire

1990   Derby City Museum and Art Gallery

               Leicester City Council, Abbey Park, Leicester 

1989-90   Derbyshire Education Authority, Combined Arts Project 

1988   Leicester City Council, Abbey Park, Leicester

1987-88   Henry Cavendish School, Derby

                Derbyshire County Council, Lea Green Centre, Matlock