Eilís O'Connell

The work appears in excellent original condition, ready to hang.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Eilís O’Connell is a sculptor who loves objects, whether shaped by nature or the human hand, from birds’ nests to ancient artifacts. Her flawless, classical feeling for form is matched by her sense of touch. Spend even a moment with one of her works and it becomes apparent that she is minutely attentive to its tactile, surface qualities. Nuances of texture and polish have been endlessly considered and refined.

Throughout her career, large-scale public projects throughout Ireland, the UK and elsewhere, have alternated with more personal work. That work extends from tiny, meticulously made objects to much more expansive pieces. Technically versatile, her range of materials is correspondingly vast, extending from feathers to stainless steel, cast bronze and resin to wood.

For the last eight years or so she has been based in rural County Cork. Her spacious studio was formerly a creamery, and she lives in the heart of an agricultural landscape of seasonal cycles. It is, she has observed, a burgeoning, productive environment where, even as things die back, energy is building up for the next explosive burst of growth. The idea of one, developing form nestled in an enclosing, nutritive ground has become a recurrent motif, manifested in different ways in her practice. 

The layered patterning of Bounce is tidal and generous, charged with a rhythmic pulse, and a concentrated, emergent form nestles in the rippled, watery folds. Her use of materials is ingenious and it is an elegant, eloquent work, grounded in the natural world.

Aidan Dunne, 2015