David O

Thank you to the Abbey Council for setting up a unique opportunity next year in the form of an Abbey Fellowship Award in Painting at the British School at Rome. It is scheduled for spring 2026 where you will find me feasting upon epigraphy and the politics of power. @abbeyawards @britishschoolatrome #contemporarypainting #contemporaryprintmaking #contemporaryart

The Diverted ( Abide / Divide ) Oil, collage, & half tone inkjet print on canvas, 245 x 350mm + 540 x 720 laserjet poster, 2026 Photo: Luana Rigolli ‘This could not be experienced the same way in any other location’

The Diverted ( Eternal / Infernal ) Oil, collage, & half tone inkjet print on canvas, 245 x 350mm + 540 x 720 laserjet poster, 2026 Photo: Luana Rigolli ‘But I now feel this was a diversion’

The Diverted (Instant / Distant) Oil, collage, & half tone inkjet print on canvas, 245 x 350mm + 540 x 720 laserjet poster, 2026 Photo: Luana Rigoli Where one position or state of being is in dialogue or conflict with another

The Diverted (Interact / Extract) Oil, collage, & half tone inkjet print on canvas, 245 x 350mm + 540 x 720 laserjet poster, 2026 Photo: Luana Rigolli ‘what is meant by security is another word for restriction’

The Diverted (Bucolic / Shambolic) Oil, collage, & half tone inkjet print on canvas, 245 x 350mm + 540 x 720 laserjet poster, 2026 Photo: Luana Rigolli ‘where one position or state of being is in dialogue or conflict with another’

The Diverted (Idyllic / Acrylic) Oil, collage, & half tone inkjet print on canvas, 245 x 350mm + 540 x 720 laserjet poster, 2026 Photo: Luana Rigolli ‘ Like elective affinities in reverse’

Despite current events and the seemingly irretrievable death of irony, one coping mechanism I’ve found productive lies amidst the fabric of place and ekphrasis found in the representation of an always politically loaded elsewhere. Images of details and new composite arrangements of layered posters, oil and collage, on half tone prints. Further details can be found in a recently penned blog as Abbey Fellow @abbeyawards for the @britishschoolatrome website published in March. Link in bio. #rome

Despite the cognitive dissonance of events elsewhere, I’m compelled to share a few highlights, fragments, and dualities, from the last few months of Rome. Needless to say, all the superlatives apply. Saying this in full recognition I’ve barely touched the sides of what’s possible. But the opportunity to experience this region of Italy and the city of Rome, its material layers of multiple spatial and psychic contradictions has been everything and more. A massive thank you to all at the @abbeyawards for making it happen and all the staff at the @britishschoolatrome for help and invaluable support which makes it such an extraordinary organisation and place to be. Special mention to the excellent team here inc @martapellerini @lapeterlina and Silvia Calderoni, . It has been a real pleasure to meet all the other Fellows and scholars here, but especially to share insight with fellow artists Anna Clough - Rebecca Scott Rome Resident @anna.clough_ Susie Green - Abbey Fellow @susiegreen Lisa Marie Harris Sainsbury Scholar @lisa.marie.Harris Danny Leyland - Abbey Scholar @danny_leyland Richard Malone - Derek Hill Scholar @richardmalone Janette Parris - Bridget Riley Fellow @janetteparis

Friends. Another arts centre in Glasgow is in peril, and this time a council-owned organisation is responsible. Just a month after the CCA dramatically shut its doors, seven organisations at arts hub Trongate 103 have been told they have less than 28 days to get out. Trongate 103 was set up less than 20 yrs ago to provide attainable premises for grass roots arts organisations within the City. In another attack on the cultural economy which Glasgow has done so much to contribute towards nationally and internationally this cannot be allowed to happen. Please sign the petition to protest against the decision triggered by Glasgow City Council to dramatically alter the lease arrangements of KEY arts organisations which will effectively damage their ability to continue. In recent years I’ve had the fortune of working with Glasgow Print Studio who continue to offer an incredible resource and support not only for me but for countless other artists both inside and outside the City offering inclusive access to facilities and education from across all walks of life. Please sign the petition (link in bio) make your feelings known to… @glasgowcc @scotgov @john_swinmey_snp @angusrobertsonmsp @creativescots In support of the following organisations @projectability @glasgowprintstudio @streetlevelphotoworks @glasgowindependentstudio @glasgowprojectroom @transmissionglasgow @gmacfilm @sharmanka.theatre

Looking forward to sharing new works and those in development along with new artist friends at the upcoming Spring Open Studios at the @britishschoolatrome opening on 4 / 5 March. A big thanks to everyone at the @abbeyawards for making it possible and the fabulous @martapellerini for continued support. #britishschoolatrome #roma

Caught the screening here last night of ‘We are Making a Film about Mark Fisher’ subtitled in Italian which concluded with spontaneous applause from a very full (and mostly young) audience. He may no longer be with us, but it’s harder to imagine a better medium and format to translate the issues at stake. Shot and edited as a docu-fiction amidst the familiar vistas of East London and the Thames Estuary. One of my biggest regrets is to have not met him personally. Not because he was on the money but he managed to so clearly articulate much of what I was thinking at the time about narrative, authorship, the impotence of the art system, conservatism, power, and cultural stasis in general which if anything has only accelerated since. Bravo to everyone involved. @markfisherfilm @lauragraceford @davebeechartist @beaglesramsay @marieannemcquay Et al. 👏👏👏