Liam O'Brien: Possessions
This video work draws upon horror and science-fiction cinema to explore the relationship between humanity and technology.
Overview
If you keep up-to-date with world news, it's pretty easy to feel like you're living in a horror, science-fiction or bleakly dystopian film these days — or, as has been pointed out more than once on social media, an episode of Black Mirror. Perhaps that's just what being alive during a time of advanced capitalism is like? That's the idea behind Liam O'Brien's latest video work, Possessions.
On display at the Institute of Modern Art between April 1 and 29, Possessions appropriates parts of all of the aforementioned movie genres to probe humanity's relationship with technology, how it influences our free will and the impact it has on our identities. O'Brien won IMA's annual Jeremy Hynes Award for best experimental Queensland artist in 2016 — and if you're keen to find out why, head to his website for an excerpt of the piece in question.
Since graduating from the Queensland College of Art, O'Brien has exhibited both in Australia and abroad, and won several other prizes as well. If you went along to the Gallery of Modern Art's GOMA Q: Contemporary Queensland Art back in 2015, you'll be familiar with his work. If not, here's your chance to discover something new.
