John O'Reilly is an oil painter, focusing on banal and overlooked urban landscapes in subdued palettes. As a former graffiti artist, his early subjects included non-pedestrian restricted areas he often painted graffiti in, especially the railway and abandoned sites.
His recent work describes walks around monolithic infrastructures designed to accommodate vehicles, with their collages of everchanging urban textures through human activity, grime and light.
Upcoming
2026 Solo Exhibition, Ashford Gallery, RHA, Dublin.
Awards
2024 Per Cent for Arts Scheme, Dublin.
2022 Arts Council Agility Award.
2021 Dublin Port Pumphouse Bursary.
2020 Arts Council Visual Artist Bursary.
2015 Residency Fellowship, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Co. Mayo.
2013 Albert Cottages Artist Residency, DCC, Dublin.
2012 Artist in Residence, Draíocht, Dublin.
2010 Per Cent for Arts Scheme, Tralee, Co.Kerry.
Solo Exhibitions
2023 'Dublin Port 2021-2023', Axis Ballymun, Dublin.
2020 'Monolith', Irish Architectural Archive, Dublin.
2018 'Under the Sun', Red Stables, Dublin.
2012 'Transient', Draiocht, Dublin.
2009 'Pastoral City', Talbot Gallery & Studios, Dublin.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 British Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London.
2025 RHA Annual Exhibition, Dublin.
2025 Lavit Gallery Summer Exhibition, Cork.
2025 An Tain, Dundalk.
2024 SEASONAL COLOUR 24, Taylor Galleries, Dublin.
2024-2020 RHA Annual Exhibition, Dublin.
2023 British Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London.
2023 ‘Habitats & Heritage’, London.
2023 'Grit between my teeth', Atelier Now, Dublin.
2023 ‘New Acquisitions’, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Co. Mayo.
2022 ‘Rally’, Glovebox, Trinity St. Car-Park, Dublin.
2022 ‘Paipear’, Hang Tough Contemporary, Dublin.
2022 ‘Do You Dream?’ – The Space Between, Dublin.
2021 ‘Outbuilding’, Source Arts Centre, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
2021 ‘Antiquity and the Anthropocene’, UCD, Dublin.
2020 RUA Winter Exhibition, Dublin.
2020 ‘Unseen’, Artcore Gallery, Derby, U.K.
2019 ‘That Space Between’, Duo Exhibition with James Kirwan. VR & Spray-paint works, The Space Between, Dublin.
2019 ‘Folklore’, Damn Fine Print, Dublin.
2019 “In Response”, Two Birds Gallery, Seville, Spain.
2018-2008 RHA Annual Exhibition, Dublin.
2017–2009 Jonathan Swift Gallery, Kilkenny, Wexford, Belfast.
2015 RUA Annual Exhibition, Belfast.
2014 ‘End of the Line’, Mabos, Dublin.
2013 ‘Albert College Park’, with composer Abigail Smith, The Lab, Dublin.
2011 ‘Roadworks’, Dublin Contemporary, Dublin.
2011 ‘Gurriers’, Block T, Dublin.
2010 ‘Irish Wave’, Beijing, China.
2010 ‘Show Off’, OFFSET, Dublin.
2009 ‘After Dark’, RHA, Dublin.
2009 ‘Reading the City’, EV+A, Limerick.
2009 ‘Town & Country’, Monster Truck Gallery, Dublin.
2007 Duo Exhibition with Maser, Filmbase, Dublin.
2007 ‘Burquitlim’, Vancouver, Canada.
Selected Projects
2019 Eleven works for private commission, Hang Tough Gallery, Dublin.
2019 Four works for private commission, Iverna, Dublin.
2017 Mural & Presentation, ‘Vermeer, and the Masters of Genre Painting’, National Gallery of Ireland.
2018-2015 Education projects, National Gallery of Ireland.
2014 Six works for private commission, Iverna, Dublin.
2014 Red Square Project, Butler Gallery, Kilkenny.
2014-2013 Artist in Residence, Mabos, Dublin.
2011 Dublin Contemporary “Roadworks”.
Selected Talks
2022 ‘Do You Dream?”, panel discussion, The Space Between, Dublin.
2022 ‘The allure of Car Parks”, Glovebox, Dublin.
2021 ‘Antiquity & the Anthropocene’, UCD, Dublin.
2021 ‘Outbuilding’, Source Arts Centre, Co. Tipperary.
2017 ‘Vermeer & the Masters of Genre Painting’, National Gallery of Ireland.
Collections
OPW State Art Collection, Ireland.
Dublin Port, Ireland.
Balinglen Arts Foundation Collection, Ireland.
Private Collections in Ireland, UK, Germany, Canada, and USA.
Other
2003-1993 Graffiti Artist.
