Julian Opie

I discovered this artist when I visited the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin recently. The large piece has been permanent  home to the entrance of the gallery. 

The exhibition comprised of four animated LED screens placed on the central median of O’Connell Street and this one  outside the gallery on Parnell Square.

Julian Opie is widely recognised as one of the most pre-eminent artists working within the public realm today. Blurring the relations between artist and non-artist within our society, Opie’s images are elemental in appearance though amongst the most complex and sophisticated in contemporary art practice. They reveal to us that that culture is malleable, exciting, free, and all around us.

 The Best Of  Blur- Album Cover designed by Opie

Opie is well known for his minimalist approach in his work. He creates portraits using bold black outline and solid  flat colours. Most of us will recognise the Blur album designed by Opie, He also created the backing screen for Vertigo, U2's world tour in which he displayed a LED screen of a man walking (as above)


He likes to us technology in his work and in this work  he demonstrates to us  how activities such as driving, walking and climbing could be represented by simple reductions( as above ) In addition, Opie uses sculpture and light installations to present items of everyday life.