A Life in Low Relief

An Exhibition by the Artist Farhad O’Neill

Farhad O’Neill, the old familiar of The Linen Hall, returned to Belfast, after 17 years in his native Canada. This exhibition, A Life in Low Relief, represents over twenty years of work in the genre of bas-relief (or low relief) carving.

The seven separate bodies of work in this exhibition, are based on several themes. These include the theme of memory as part of rhetoric in Jesuit efforts in China in the late 1500s and early 1600s translated visually into Irish and Christian context, impressions from diverse musical performances, sexual and gender identity, Catholic devotional practices, abstract expressionism based upon nature, eastern Zoroastrian influences, as well as stand-alone non-aligned pieces.

The exhibition will feature a total of 76 bas-relief sculptures in bronze, as well as the original carvings.  Also, the major commission of the Marian Doors for St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica in Toronto will be shown via a slideshow.  The relevant sketchbooks for these works will also be shown via an interactive video display.

Farhad will launch his exhibition with a talk on Friday 3rd February at 1 pm. If you wish to attend, please follow this link to find out more and book your free ticket.

About the Artist:

Farhad O’Neill was born to a Belfast mother and a Parsi father and was raised in Canada.  He relocated to Belfast in the early 1990s as an Irish Citizen and began and maintained an artistic practice and studio in the Conway Mill until 2004.  His practice is represented as public works in many locations in West Belfast and abroad.  From 2004 until 2022 he was based in Canada and continued his practice with major artist landmarks including the Corpus et Spiritus sculpture commission and the commission for the Marian Doors for St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica.  In January 2022 he returned to Belfast for good and has a studio located in Cultúrlann.