Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is delighted to present an exhibition of new artworks by Martina O’Brien, brittle record.  O’Brien was awarded a dlr Visual Art Commission Exhibition; this is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and supported by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

Bringing together new video installations, printmaking, animation and archival material, Martina O’Brien considers the ocean as a vast, shifting archive of materials. Developed in part through engagement with marine geochemistry, marine biology and marine ecology experts, the exhibition draws on O’Brien’s time spent on marine expedition residencies in Oslofjord, Norway and the Arctic Ocean. It also pays close attention to coastal and underwater environments in Dún Laoghaire and the Irish Sea. brittle record responds to marine life forms and buried underwater histories to be reckoned with in a time of environmental breakdown.

Martina O’Brien is an Irish visual artist. She is the recipient of various awards from arts organisations and research bodies including the Arts Council of Ireland, Creative Ireland, Create, the European Commission, Goethe-Institut and Kildare Arts Service. Recent awards include the Arts Council of Ireland Visual Arts Bursaries (2023/2022/2021/2019) and Visual Arts Project Awards (2024/2022). Recent solo exhibitions include Galway Arts Centre (2024), Highlanes Municipal Art Gallery (2023), Illuminations Gallery, Maynooth University (2020) and Butler Gallery (2018). O’Brien has participated in numerous exhibitions and artist residencies in Ireland, internationally and at sea, and has collaborated with several experts in climate change and marine ecosystems over many years.