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05/08/2019 - 15/09/2019

My practice responds to the environment, its preservation, and the dilemmas that arise when considering our place in the universe. The work examines the interface between art and science, it considers alternate histories, temporality and systems of control. I express this by exploring the compression of astronomical distances and timescales relative to the human experience. I use multidisciplinary methods to establish a connection with nature and develop a relationship with cosmic cycles. The work spans a wide range of media, techniques and materials, from domestic and abject to highly crafted. I am looking for a counter narrative to our current economic model that reflects scientific reality and subverts destructive systems. By initiating a reconnection with nature and its eternal cycles, I invite the viewer to reflect upon the environment and the unnatural forces that affect it.

Laurence O'Toole, He Turned My World Upside Down and Inside Out, Cast iron and stainless steel, 2018
Laurence O'Toole, He Turned My World Upside Down and Inside Out, Cast iron and stainless steel, 2018
Laurence O’Toole, I Can Barely Contain Myself, Giclée on Hahnemühle bamboo paper, Steel frame, 2018
Laurence O’Toole, I Can Barely Contain Myself, Giclée on Hahnemühle bamboo paper, Steel frame, 2018
Laurence O’Toole, A Potential for Disequilibrium, Concrete, Graphite, Soapstone, Steel, 2018
Laurence O’Toole, A Potential for Disequilibrium, Concrete, Graphite, Soapstone, Steel, 2018
Laurence O’Toole, Ruling a Surface II, Acrylic, cotton, paper, pva on canvas, 2019
Laurence O’Toole, Ruling a Surface II, Acrylic, cotton, paper, pva on canvas, 2019

Laurence O'Toole

Born 2nd February 1968, Dublin, Ireland. Currently living in County Wexford, Ireland.

I originally studied graphic design and photography at Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design, graduating in 1990. I worked in design and advertising for 4 years but became disillusioned with the work. Soon after I started up a custom motorbike workshop with some friends, from this I gravitated to metal fabrication and light engineering. After working in this field for several years I returned to college to study art at the IT Carlow Wexford Campus where I graduated with first class honours in 2014. After 3 years of working for other artists and galleries, while also trying to get my own practice off the ground, I decided to consolidate my practice by committing to an MA course. I graduated from the Art and Process MA at Crawford College of Art and Design in December of 2018 with a first class degree.

Past Residencies