See below or download CV23.
Paul O’ Kane, CV
Autumn 2023
e-mail: [email protected] website: www.okpaul.com
Profile
0.5 Critical Studies Senior Lecturer and Unit Leader, CSM, UAL
Artist, Writer, Lecturer and Publisher, with extensive experience.
Specialist in art writing, academic writing, creative writing, critical studies and art history.
As a writer and member of AICA, I work in a variety of modes, from the academic and journalistic to the experimental and literary. I publish essays, articles, interviews and occasionally stories related to my research.
As a lecturer I specialise in histories and theories of art and popular culture, and also have extensive studio-teaching experience.
As an artist my work explores the history, possibilities and status of the still and moving mechanised image, as well as embracing popular music and culture. I am one of the three founding editors of eeodo artist’s books publishing company.
Education
2003 – 2009 PhD ‘A Hesitation of Things’ Goldsmiths College, University of London
1999 – 2001 MA (Distinction) Art History/Visual Cultures Goldsmiths College, University of London
2001 PGCert, Education in Art & Design The London Institute
1996 NCTJ Print Journalism, Lambeth College
1990 – 1993 BA (Hons) Fine Art, Camberwell College of Art & Design
1981 – 1983 BA (Hons) Photography Film & TV London College of Printing London
Recent Exhibitions
2017 ‘Altered Realities’, Lethaby Gallery, CSM Kings Cross, London.
2016 ‘End Papers’ for the group show ‘To Be Converted’ at Bread & Jam, London
2016 ‘Mind Your Back/Looking Back’ Installed at BSO Conference, London
2015 ‘RIGHT’ (video) and ‘Art & Labour: One Hour’s Worth of Thought’ (video) both for ‘REBOOT’, Sluice Art Fair, Bargehouse London.
2015 ‘Cheolsan’, Wild Pansy Press Project Space, Leeds University
2014 ‘Hills To Mountains’, Performance, collaboration with Bada Song, Café Oto London
2013 ‘Downtime’ (curator/ contributor) Paul O’Kane, Ort Gallery, Birmingham
2012 ‘There Will Be Others’, Angus-Hughes Gallery London
2012 ‘10,000 Steps’, screened Deptford X in collaboration with Bada Song
2011 ‘Carousel’, screened Swedenborg House. Short film festival, London
2011 ‘Souvenirs’, Angus-Hughes Gallery London
2011 ‘Smoke On The Water’, Aubin Gallery, London
2010 ‘For The Sake Of The Image’, Jerwood Space, London
2010 ‘Happy End’, Yinka Shonibare’s Space, London
2010 ‘Carousel’, screened TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Spain
Recent Publications
2023 Life Is More Important Than Art, Whitechapel Gallery, London. Long form review for Third Text Online
2023 Staying Alive: Transcendence and Immanence in Contemporary Painting
Long form article for (refereed) Journal of Contemporary Painting
2023 Taking Visual Pleasure in Cinematic Revenge Michelle Williams Gamaker’s ‘Our Mountains are Painted on Glass’ South London Gallery. Short form review for Third Text Online
2023 What happens if a contemporary artist places a jewellery shop inside a gallery? R.I.P. Germain “Jesus Died For Us, We Will Die For Dudus!” ICA London
Long-form review for Third Text Online
2023 The Secret Life of Objects in the Immanent Art of Morandi
Or: How art shows us how to write about art if we only let it.
Long form article for (refereed) Journal of Writing in Creative Practice
2023 ‘Soft and Weak Like Water: The 14th Gwangju Biennale, 2023’ (long-form review for Third Text Online)
2023 ‘2022 Title Match: IM Heung-soon vs Omer Fast “Cut!” at SeMA in Seoul’ (long-form review for Third Text Online)
2023 ‘History in Contemporary Art & Culture’ 85,000-word illustrated, single author monograph book for Routledge Academic Publishers
2022 ‘On Hunter Gatherer: recent paintings by Francesco Poiana’ at Messums Gallery, Cork Street, London (gallery text)
2022 ‘On Mask-Ocracy’ article for (refereed) journal Third Text
2022 (Editor of the English version) ‘Art Criticism in Times of Populism and Nationalism: proceedings of the 52nd international AICA congress’
2021 ‘Six Thousand Masks for One Imposter’ article for (refereed) Journal of Writing & Creative practice
2021 ‘Lectures in lockdown: trying to rescue the lecture as event’ article for (refereed) Journal of Learning Development
2021 ‘Small Worlds & Short Stories: play, pleasure & imagination deployed as a salve to Isolated learning’ article for (refereed) Journal of Learning Development
2020 ‘Four Thousand One Hundred & Eight Masks for One Imposter’, published online by Five Years
2020 ‘Four Thousand One Hundred & Eight Masks for One Imposter’, published online by Five Years
2020 ‘The Carnival of Popularity Part II: Towards a mask-ocracy’, published by Third Text Online http://thirdtext.org/okane-maskocracy
2020 ‘The Carnival of Popularity’, published by Third Text Online, http://thirdtext.org/OKane-carnival
2019 ‘Forever Young: Juvenilia, Amateurism, and the Popular Past (or ‘Transvaluing Values in the Age of the Archive’) published by Third Text Online, http://thirdtext.org/okane-juvenilia
2019 ‘Half-Way To Cloud Mountain’, short stories, illustrated by Francesco Poiana, published by eeodo, London
2018 Technologies of Romance- Part II. 250-page, illustrated book on art, history and technology – eeodo.
2018 Lee Yil – Anthologised Critical Writings (translated by Bada Song and Paul O’Kane, with Shim Chung). Edited by Henry Meyric Hughes for AICA publications & Les presses du réel.
2018 The Other Side of the Word : Translation as Migration in the Anthologised Writings of Lee Yil by Paul O’Kane for Third Text Online (http://www.thirdtext.org/okane-leeyil)
2017 A Journey Through Days 4 and 5 of the 50th AICA Congress, Paris, November 2017 (http://aicainternational.org/en/congress-2017-paul-o-kane/ )
2017 On Stage: The Theatrical Dimension of Video Image’ by Mathilde Roman, Book Review, Art Monthly, Issue 405, April, 2017 (plus associated Resonance FM Radio discussion)
2017 Technologies of Romance- Part I. 200-page, illustrated book on art, history and technology –eeodo
2016 Commissioned response to ‘Now It is Permitted: 24 Wayside Pulpits‘ Installation by Bridget Smith at Swedenborg House, London
2016 Post-Perspectival Art & Politics in Post-Brexit Britain (http://www.thirdtext.org/post-brexit- art-politics) THIRD TEXT
2016 “I’m Alone, But Not Lonely”, book for eeodo (acting as joint fundraiser, preface writer, joint editor, designer and distributor).
2016 Electronic Superhighway’ – A report by Paul O’Kane, For MIRAJ (referee journal)
2016 Spolia As Speculation. For Journal of Visual Practice
2016 Painting Is Believing. For Journal of Contemporary Painting
2016 About About About. For Central St Martins Fine Art Postgraduate Degree Show catalogue 2016 Concrete Burns. For Central St Martins Fine Art Undergraduate Degree Show catalogue 2015 Only You. For Garageland journal ‘Self’ issue, December, 2015
2015 (editor) ‘Cash or Smash’ by Bada Song, and contributing essay ‘Philosophising With a Hammer’
eeodo publishing
2015 Open Your Door. For Cobra Res Flash Fiction (ed. Theo Price) Cobra Press
2015 Lost (On Orientation). Art Monthly 391: November 2015, pp. 9-12 (complemented by Resonance FM Art Monthly radio interview)
2015 A Glorious Vanity – ,the paintings of Richard Moon (gallery text)
2015 Downtime – Robert Smithson’s Legacy. Art Monthly 387: June 2015, pp.11-14
2015, Islands – Richard Ducker and Gibson/Martelli at Coleman Project Space, London
2015, The Rule of Exceptions. For Chelsea College of Art, UAL, degree show catalogue essay
2015 Curating the Legacy of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. Third Text, Vol 28, Issue 6, 2014, pp. 1-16 2015 Mountain Tasting: Dunhill & O’Brien’s New Japanese Object. For ‘In This Point of View’ published by Youkobo Inc.
2015 Are We There Yet? – on Duncan Pickstock.For ACME Rita Harris Studio Award catalogue essay
2015, Paul Eachus and The Colour of Chaos. For Agency Gallery, London
2015 Waiting, Narrative & Modernity: Nooshin Farhid & Lis Rhodes. For The Showroom / Cinenova 2015 Documentary Realism: Painting in the Digital Age’ – with Robert Priseman and Sophie Cummings. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform
2015‘ONLY YOU – 750WORDSAWEEK: experiments in criticism. Weekly Blog, https://750wordsaweek.wordpress.com/
2014 An Unimaginative Response To Some Rather Dull Things – paintings by Sarah Poots. For centre for Contemporary Art, Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland
2014 Against Judgement, (art photography & judgement). Art Monthly, Dec-Jan, [No. 382], pp. 9- 12
2014 Terrorism & the Left: Towards a Holistic Politics. For GARAGELAND, #17, pp.10-13 2014 Godfried Donkor. Review for ‘Cataloguing Camberwell: 20 Years of the Camberwell arts Festival’.
2014 Paul O’Kane in Korea: AICA International Congress Report. For AICA UK website (http://www.aicauk.org/category/comment-opinion/)
2014 The Blind. For Uncertain States (Photography Journal) Issue #20, November 2014
2014 Where Is That Light Now? by Paul O’Kane. eeodo publishing (100 page book on photography and memoir.)
2014 Performing Photographs: Photography, Performance, and Affect, Tate Modern, London, March 19, 20141, Reviewed by Paul O’Kane. For Photography & Culture, Volume 7—Issue, July 2014, pp. 215-218
2014 (editor) Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: a portrait in fragments, catalogue, Korean Cultural Centre London
2014 New Romantic(ism)?, Art Monthly, May-June, [No 376] pp. 1 –4 (complemented by Resonance FM Art Monthly radio interview and podcast)
2014 ‘Ruin Lust, Tate Britain, London’, ACE, 78, Summer 2014, pp. 10-11
2013 ‘From Tall Story to Infinite Conversation: Warren Garland at West Lane South’, Catalogue Essay, West Lane South gallery, London
2013 ‘Arctic Circles’ (in DEUX ANIMAUX Vol 2. The Romantic Mind), Deux animaux Publications. 2013 The Scene of the Self (in This ‘Me’ of Mine: Self, Time & Context in the Digital Age Ed. J. Boyer, Pub Xlibris, ISBN: 978-1-4836-7006-5, pp.12- 19
2013 All Clear (On Transparency) Art Monthly, Dec-Jan, [No 372] pp. 7 – 10
2013 The Secret Carnival, for ‘Vault’, Camberwell Press
2013 The Politics of Performance-Nicola Ruben Montini. Galleria Massimi Deluca, Mestre-Venezia
2013 Paul O’Kane Interviews Travess Smalley, SYMBOL issue 3.
2013 Life and Death (on art and being). Art Monthly, April, [No 365] pp. 5 – 8 (complemented by Resonance FM Art Monthly radio interview and podcast)
2012 One Or Two Ways To Square One, (essay There Will Be Others show catalogue, Angus- Hughes Gallery London.)
2012 The State of the Arts in the Netherlands: Dutch Diary, Summer 2011., Third Text, 116 (Vol. 26, issue 03), May 2012 pp. 345 – 358
2012 The Beauty of Failure. Booklet essay to accompany Triumph of the Will, curated by Fieldgate Gallery at Camberwell Space, London, October
2012 The Act of Making & The Making of the Act. Art Monthly, October, [No 360] pp.1 – 4 (complemented by Resonance FM Art Monthly radio interview)
2012 Across The Bridge. For ASPIDISTRA, Issue X, 2012 pp. 15 – 16,
2012 Do you Believe in Things?.Art Monthly, May, [No 356] pp.1 – 4 (complemented by Resonance FM Art Monthly radio interview)
2012 Out of this World. Art Monthly, February, [No 353] pp. 9 – 12 (complemented by Resonance FM Art Monthly radio interview)
2012‘Korea – Seoul Searching. Art Monthly, February 2012, [No 353] p.33
2012 Only a Game? Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy. For Wasafiri, issue 69 Spring, pp.53 – 61
2011 Phil Collins, Marxism Today. for Third Text, Volume 25, Issue 5, pp. 644-648
2011 The Incident at Modane – What Have We Learned?’ Third Text, 25, issue 3, pp. 644-648
2011 Polishing The Ruins’(A presentation for the exhibition ‘On The Great Divide’at Lo & Behold Gallery, London, Spring), published in ‘Deux Animaux’No. 1- Memory and Ruin
2011 Junk: Art & The Politics of Trash. Art Monthly, July – August, 2011 [No 348] p.39 (complemented by Resonance FM Art Monthly radio interview)
2011 Four Characters With Implied Narrative for ASPIDISTRA issue 2, pages 21 – 24
2011 John Gerrard ,Oil Stick Work: Art on the Underground. Third Text, 25, Issue 2, pp. 237 – 241 2010 Suki Chan, Sleep Walk Sleep Talk. Third Text 107, volume 24, issue 6, November, pages 763 – 767
2010 The Time Before That, Paul O’Kane. Photo Essay, hand-bound edition, eeodo publishing for Jerwood Space
2010 A Perfect Picture Of What To Do Next. For ASPIDISTRA issue 1, page 41 – 44
2010 ‘In And Out Of The City: For Shadows Have Shadows, The Society For Heresiarchs Of Autonomous Art, issue 2, page 3
2009 Renzo Martens Episode III. Third Text 101, volume 23, issue 6, November, page 813 – 816
Recent Talks & Events
2023 ‘History in Contemporary Art & Culture’. Talk for Glasgow School of Art
2023 ‘History in Contemporary Art & Culture’. Two talks for Chelsea College of Art, UAL
2023 Book launch event with guest speaker Hew Locke and 75 guests, to mark publication of my Routledge book ‘History in Contemporary Art & Culture’. Held at Lethaby Gallery, CSM Kings Cross, London.
2022 ‘Still Hemmed-In? – Hew Locke, The Procession, and History’. Paper given at Tate Britain / Paul Mellon Centre event re Hew Locke’s ’The Procession’
2021 ‘Thought Is Made In The Mouth: Embracing critical nonsense in a time of intellectual aftermath’ Paper for AICA conference, Turkey
2020 ‘Did I See Cao Fei at The Serpentine Galley?’ paper for AICA Turkey international conference on art criticism in the age of lockdown
2019 ‘The Carnival of Popularity: Wresting the Popular from Populism’, paper given at the 52nd International AICA Congress in Germany, held in Cologne and Berlin, 1–7 October 2019.The Congress’s theme was ‘Art Criticism in Times of Populism and Nationalism’. The paper was delivered on 4 October in the Berlinische Galerie, Alte Jakobstraße 124–128, Berlin, as part of ‘The Public and the Popular’ panel hosted by Alexander Koch.
2018 ‘Let Them Eat Photographs’ – illustrated paper given for TATE Modern & LCC conference on ‘Writing Photographs‘
2018 Joint organiser with eeodo and Science Museum, and speaker, for ‘Technologies of Romance Symposium‘ held at Science Museum, London
2018 Moderator for book launch event public discussion on ‘The Book As A romantic Technology’ at South London Gallery
2018 Moderator for talk on alternative spaces – for ‘Extended Call 3’
2018 Event organiser and speaker re ‘Journeys: how class and culture influenced your journey through Higher Education’, held at CSM, UAL, London
2018 ‘On translating the writings of Korean Critic Lee Yil’, at SOAS / AICA Symposium
2018 On ‘Days of the Water Sun’ – for ‘Studio Complex’ at CSM/Tate Exchange, Tate Modern, London
2017 ‘Bad Meaning Good’ paper given for ‘Disobedience and Complex Systems: Art, Design, Media and the Political’ conference at Iklectik Arts Lab London
2017 On Sarah Roberts and Mark Jackson at Block336, Gallery, Brixton, London
2017 Paper on ‘Kumiko The Treasure Hunter’ (also host and moderator) ‘Technologies of Romance’. symposium, Whitechapel Gallery, London
2016 “I’m Alone, But Not Lonely” – event organizer, fundraiser and Chair for discussion re book launch, Daiwa Foundation, London
2016 “I’m Alone, But Not Lonely” – event organizer, fundraiser and Chair for discussion re book launch, Waterstones, London
2016 Mathilde Roman in conversation with Paul O’Kane re her book: ’On Stage’: The Theatrical Dimension of Video Image.’ Held at CSM, enabled by the 4D Pathway and the Duration and Event Research Group’
2016 Moderator / talk for ‘Making the Nature Seen’ group painting show at The Tannery, London
2016 Judge and selector for ‘Brixton East, Open 2016’ for ‘Bad Behaviour’
2016 Judge for Contemporary British Painting prize
2016 ‘Lost’ for Chelsea College of Arts
2015 ‘Organisations & Orientations: A Lecture For TRANSMISSIONS’ Sheffield Hallam University 2015 ‘On Making and Unmaking Art’ at Goldsmiths College for Bethlem Salon #5 on Making and Unmaking.
2015 ‘From Borges to Ishiguro By Way Of Big Data’ for A Plague Of Diagrams, ICA, London
2015 ‘Spolia as Speculation’, for ‘Headstone to Hard Drive’ symposium, British School at Rome
2015 ‘WOW?: Towards Immanence as Post Representation (in Art and Politics) by Way of Modern Technologies’ Paper given at: ‘21st century Photography: Art, Philosophy, Technique’ conference, CSM, UAL
2015 On Jennet Thomas’s ‘The Unspeakable Freedom Device’ at Outpost, Norwich, for Modern Culture.
2014 Panelist, ‘NoFilter’, V&A Museum, London (for Uncertain States)
2014 Hills To Mountains, Performance, collaboration with Bada Song, Café Oto London
2014 Q&A Book Launch for Where Is That Light Now? Matts Gallery, London
2014 Moderator for Critical Writings in the Era of Social Networking, and respondent to keynote Lev Manovich, Day 2, AICA International Congress, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
2014 Panel Discussion: Towards A New Socio-Painting, Transition Gallery, London
2014 To Have Done With The Act Of The Judgement Of Photography, CSM MA Symposium, Swedenborg Institute, London
2014 Paul O’Kane, Artists Talk, Chelsea College of Arts, London 2014 Where Is that Light Now?, X Marks The Bokship, London 2013 Technologies of Romance, Five Years, London
2013 The Modern Language Experiment’s Keh Ng explores the materiality of urban environments. With Celine Lunsford of the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt; Paul O’Kane, Mark Jackson of IMT Gallery and Ami Clarke of Banner Repeater, Resonance FM Clear Spot.
2013 On Theresa Hak Kyung Cha – Paul O’Kane in conversation with Bea De Sousa, ICA London
2013 Downtime, Launch Event talk, Ort Gallery Birmingham 2013 On Things, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. U.K 2012 Nooshin Farhid, The Agency Gallery, London
2012 On Ekphrasis, Poet In The City, Camberwell College, London
2009 Bricks, Area 10 Project Space, London
2009 Oliver Laric & Wojciech Kosma, Borstal Gallery, London
Teaching Experience
2016-18 Lecturer, 0.5, Critical Studies, Fine Art, CSM, UAL
1999-2018 Associate Lecturer Critical Studies Lecturer, CSM, Chelsea, SOAS, Goldsmiths, (for Foundation, BAFA and MAFA and MRes Courses, with specialism in Art Writing, Academic Writing, Critical Studies and Art History)
2013 White Square Teaching Award (UAL)
A selection of courses and colleges for which I have designed, delivered and assessed:
COURSES
Art Writing Unit for BAFA
Art & Technologies for BA Fine Art.
Art and Romanticism for BA Fine Art.
Key Ideas Lectures for First Year BA Fine Art.
Sculpture studio and contextual studies for BA Fine Art.
Photography MA research Paper supervision.
Photography BA Lecture series.
Painting BA Lecture Series.
European Art History for visitors to London.
Performance and Event-based practices for BA Fine Art.
Art & Politics for BA Fine Art.
Art & Writing for BA Fine Art.
Dissertation Supervision for BA Fine Art.
Research Paper supervision for MA Fine Art.
Dutch Art & Culture in the 17th Century ‘Golden Age’ for MA History.
COLLEGES
Central St Martins College of Art, UAL, BAFA, MA Photography & MAFA Chelsea College of Art London, Fine Art BAFA
Camberwell College of Arts, London, Fine Art BAFA
London College of Communications, UAL, BAFA Photography Leeds University, BA Fine Art
Middlesex University, London, Fine Art BAFA.
Goldsmiths College, Department of History.
London Goldsmiths College.
Department of Art & Politics, London Goldsmiths College.
Department of Fine Art, Royal College of Art,MAFA.
School of Oriental and African Studies, London, IFCELS Summer School.
UCCA, Canterbury, Kent, Fine Art BAFA
SEEVIC College, Benfleet, Essex,
Art Foundation UCA, Farnham, Surrey, BA Photography
Referees
Alex Schady, Programme Director Fine Art and Course Leader BA Fine Art, CSM, Kings X, UAL, Granary Building, 1, Granary Square, Kings X, London, N1C 4AA
Professor Michael Newman, Professor of Art Writing, Department of Art, Goldsmiths College, 8 Lewisham Way, New Cross, London SE14 6NW
Professor Howard Caygill, Professor Of Modern European Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2EE
Marjorie Allthorpe-Guyton, AICA International – General Secretary, and AICA UK –President, 1 Thornhill Road, London NI IHX