Conor O'Brien: Exhibition

Exploring the relationship between transgender bodies and the alien-other of science fiction & horror, Conor’s paintings act as a gateway to a dimension occupied by divine queer bodies. With Trans & Genderqueer bodies being weaponised politically by right wing movements worldwide, the discussion around trans identity in media, which largely seems to ignore or underrepresent trans voices, has reduced the issue to ‘us’ and ‘them’. This dehumanises and alienates trans people, who instead become a scapegoat to be feared, rather than individuals to be understood.

Abjection as termed by Julie Kristeva in her book Powers of Horror refers to that which does not “respect borders, positions, rules,” instead “disturbs identity, system, order”. Conor’s work looks to utilise this concept of Abjection as a liberatory field to explore ways of being that challenges paternal law.

The bodies that appear in these paintings, referred to as Visitors, are fluid, porous & permeable. They pull on forms of life native to earth such as fungi or marine life, informing the viewer that they are more like us than we might initially think. Confronted with bodies set apart from our understanding of sentience, viewers are asked to reckon with their own relationship to bodily autonomy & self-determination.