Born in 1975, Dublin-born artist Sinead O’Donnell now resides in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After studying sculpture at the University of Ulster, O’Donnell went on to study visual performance and time-based practice at Dartington College of Arts, graduating in 2003. Besides exhibiting works at home and abroad, O’Donnell has also left her mark as an independent curator. In 2012 she received a commission from the London Olympic/Paralympics Cultural Program and traveled 7 countries with five other artists. This time she has been invited from Flax Art Studio in Belfast as part of the 4th Ongoing AIR international residency program.
O’Donnell’s work has centered around performance art addressing the conflict in Northern Ireland with political and feminist elements. In the ‘Crossing Permissions’ exhibit, O’Donnell takes a look at the existence and image of women across Western and Japanese culture within the capitalist system. Using a wide variety of mediums including photography, video, drawings, and performance she shines a personal and political spotlight on the subject.