Jack O'Brien's 'The Reward' at Camden Art Centre critiques digital age commodification through ethereal sculptures
Running until 29 December at Camden Art Centre in London, Jack O'Brien's exhibition 'The Reward' features sculptures that transform physical items into spectral representations. The highlight of the show is two identical spiral staircases displayed sideways, encased in stockinette and adorned with silver PVC balls. O'Brien, who received the Camden Art Centre Emerging Artist Prize in 2022, presents ethereal pieces such as 'Volent,' a cellophane-wrapped carriage, which critiques the art market's emptiness. Critics like Caroline Elbaor and Dominic Johnson have noted erotic themes tied to London's cruising areas. The exhibition, which includes works like 'Doubt' (2024), underscores themes of distance and reflects on digital and economic instability, turning historical artifacts into virtual assets.
Key facts
- Jack O'Brien's exhibition 'The Reward' is on view at Camden Art Centre in London through 29 December
- The centerpiece features two identical spiral staircases hung sideways from the ceiling, wrapped in industrial stockinette with silver PVC balls
- O'Brien won the Camden Art Centre Emerging Artist Prize last year for his display at Frieze London
- His 2023 sculpture 'Volent' is a nineteenth-century carriage wrapped in cellophane, parodying artworks as commodities
- Critics Caroline Elbaor and art historian Dominic Johnson have interpreted O'Brien's work through erotic lenses
- Art historian Benjamin Buchloh's 1996 essay 'Sculpture: Publicity and the Poverty of Experience' provides context for O'Brien's practice
- The staircases were fabricated by a manufacturer rather than being found objects
- O'Brien's work reflects contemporary conditions of precarious rental arrangements and art consumption through screens
Entities
Artists
- Jack O'Brien
- Jeff Koons
- Giacometti
- Claes Oldenburg
- Arman
- André Breton
- Joseph Cornell
Institutions
- Camden Art Centre
- Ginny on Frederick
- Frieze London
- Artforum
- Frieze
- Hyperallergic
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- South London