John O’Reilly, Split Level

Oil on board
70x140

As a former graffiti artist, O’Reilly’s early subjects were of areas where he often painted graffiti in, including non-pedestrian environments such as the railway and abandoned sites. His work continues to consider the urban landscape even further, presenting banal and marginal exterior spaces. His recent paintings feature monolithic-like environments of asphalt and concrete, of fuel tank farms and car parks. This painting now hangs in the exact spot it depicts.

“Car parks are banal overlooked environments, sometimes featuring wonderfully dynamic lines and colours, that are a striking unforseen example of support structures consequential of a given medium. In an archaeological sense this bespoke temporary architecture reveals contemporary everyday human activity.”