A combination of analog and digital compositions based on ideas from Ovid's Metamorphoses, deconstructed and subverted according to his own narrative. MJO, 2021.
This stunning color photograph captures a figurative scene that transports you to a moment of serene contemplation.
In Spite of dreams, Diptychs, Portfolio of 6 photographs
In Spite of dreams. (Diptychs), 2013-2020
In Spite of dreams Series
Printed on Hahnemuhle fine art paper
Dimension for each print is 20 in. H x 30 in. W
(The overall size composition of the entire portfolio is:60 in. H x 60 in. W)
Limited Edition of 10 + 2APUnframed
Portfolio of 6 photographs
The theme is memory, loss, transformation, discovery.
1. The Fall of Icarus (Diptych), 2013-2018
“Drawn on by his eagerness for the open sky, he left his guide and soared upwards…”
-Ovid, The Fall of Icarus2. Lycidas (Diptych), n.d.
“Who would not sing for Lycidas”
-John Milton, Lycidas3. The Ides of March (Diptych), n.d.
4. Hidden Things (Diptych), n.d.
“On hearing about great love, respond, be moved like an aesthete. Only, fortunate as you’ve been, remember how much your imagination created for you.”
- C.P. Cavafy, On Hearing of Love5.One Afternoon at Four O'clock (Diptych), 2015-2019
“One afternoon at four o’clock we separated for a week only…And then—that week became forever.”
-C.P. Cavafy, The Afternoon Sun6. When They Come Alive (Diptych), n.d.
“…Where youth grows pale and specter-thin and dies; Where but to think is to be full of sorrow…”
- Keats, Ode to a NightingaleMichael James O’Brien is a multifaceted artist based in Atlanta, GA, known for his work as a photographer, teacher, curator, poet, and activist. He has held solo exhibitions in major cities worldwide, including New York, Paris, Beijing, and Istanbul. His photography is part of the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection in London and has been featured in esteemed publications such as Rolling Stone, Vogue UK, The New Yorker, and The Guardian. O'Brien authored Girlfriend; Men, Women, and Drag, published by Random House, and contributed to Matthew Barney’s Drawing Restraint 7 and Cremaster series. A dedicated activist, he has been involved with ACTUP and various HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, including the Love Ball and Live Positive Campaign. Currently, he serves as the Chair of Photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design and chairs the Advisory Council of Atlanta Celebrates Photography.
