Words can’t describe how great it was working with Liam O’Brien realising this video commission for Artbank.
Liam O’Brien, Whistling in the Dark, 2013
Commissioned by Artbank for the series Performutations curated by Daniel Mudie Cunningham
Emerging QLD based artist Liam O’Brien sees the individual’s place in the world as one of uncertainty and doubt, predominantly concerning one’s perception of their purpose in society and the potential meaninglessness of life.
Whistling in the Dark depicts a personified hand attempting to drag a relatively enormous sack from an idle position across an arbitrary line in a public space. O’Brien uses this absurd action to question the validity of struggle in the pursuit of self-determined goals, and how this struggle may appear meaningless from a particular perspective.Since graduating with first class honours from Griffith University in 2010, O’Brien has been making work that examines the condition of the individual under late capitalism, with a particular interest in the ambiguities of personal freedom. O’Brien challenges everyday life’s ideologies and rituals through performative actions presented live or through still-image or time-based representations.
More information on Liam O’Brien here.
