A large pile of white pillows sits against a background of a large evergreen tree. On top of the pile, a man in a black tank-top is seated and bent forward, apparently asleep.

“cats sleep anywhere” by Brian O’Mahoney. Performed by Aurelien Dougé, Brian O’Mahoney, and Ann Mirjam Vaikla. Photo copyright Martyna Szczęsna. 2016.

“I’d Rather Be Blue” by Brian O’Mahoney. Performed by Irina Duskova. Photo copyright Chloe Bellemere. 2018.

“The Pursuit” by Brian O’Mahoney. Photo copyright Neza Ternik. 2019.

“Every Day is Another” by Brian O’Mahoney. Performed by Irina Duskova. Photo copyright Laura Brichta. 2019.

Artistic History

Brian O’Mahoney has over a decade of experience in devised performances for live events and performance festivals. They have a background in clowning, devised theatre, and movement.

They have presented and participated in performances at Art in Odd Places (New York, NY), comedymanifestshow (New Brunswick, NJ), mhProjectny (New York, NY), Newark Open Doors (Newark, NJ), Public Art Fund (New York, NY), Rabbit Hole Studio (Brooklyn, NY), Roodkapje Radicals (Netherlands), SIPMA Contemporary (Branchburg, NJ), Southampton Arts Center (Southampton, NY), Stara Mestna Elektrarna (Ljublana, Slovenia), and The Watermill Center (Water Mill, NY). They have held residencies at The Watermill Center (2013 to 2017) and Performance Art Research Ljubljana (2019).

Work Samples

“Trance #002” by Brian O’Mahoney. Performed by Rosa Bledsoe. Video copyright Brian O’Mahoney.

A woman in a black tank-top and black shorts sits on a felled tree in the middle of a dense and verdant forest. She gazes upward toward the sky. The sound of static slowly grows as the video progresses.

“The Pursuit” by Brian O’Mahoney. Video copyright Brian O’Mahoney.

A performer in black overalls and a black tank top stands in the middle of a black stage. They raise their arms over their head triumphantly before beginning to spin. As they spin, fall, and get back up, video of the same performer slowly fades in, creating echoes of a body spinning in space. There is no audio.

presented as part of Performance Art Research Ljubljana (PARL) “Works in Progress” presentation. September 10, 2019. The Old Power Station, ELEKTRO LJUBLJANA. www.parl.si

“Dance #001” by Brian O’Mahoney. Video copyright Brian O’Mahoney.

A performer in black shorts and a black t-shirt stands in a grass clearing, with a dense forest behind them. They repeatedly fall backwards or collapse before returning to a standing position. The sound of static slowly grows as the video progresses.