Olwen Kelly is a mixed media artist based at The Backloft at La Catedral Studios in Dublin. She holds an Undergraduate Degree in Textile Art and Artefact from the National College of Art and Design and a QQI Level 5 Certificate in Art, Design and Mixed Media from Ballyfermot College of Further Education. She is a Professional Member of Visual Artists Ireland.
Her projects take inspiration from Irish history, the Irish Industrial Schools system has been a particular focus of recent work. Her installation ‘Stigmata’ which explores the legacy of Letterfrack Industrial School was the recipient of a Global Undergraduate Award for the Island of Ireland Region in 2020 and was also long listed for the Superioritas Award in 2026.
Her series ‘Nests’ and ‘Convent Compositions’, completed in 2025, were created in response to Clifden Industrial School and were funded by an Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland. Two works from this series - Convent Composition 1 and Convent Composition 2, were selected for the Extended Longlist of Jackson’s Art Prize in 2026.
Environmental themes are also recurrent in her artworks. During the final year of her undergraduate degree in NCAD she spent a year experimenting with luffa plants to show how, in the future, they might be used by artists and designers as an important alternative to today’s synthetic meshes. This research culminated in her final year digital exhibition ‘Confronting Resilience’ for NCAD Works in 2021. One of the works from this series ‘Deimatic Collar’ was then exhibited at Dublin Castle as part of the Keep Well exhibition with the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. Photographs of ‘Burnt Luffa Sample’ and ‘Wax Luffa Sample’ from this series were exhibited at the Íova Winter Show alongside works by the Íova photography group. In the same year she won the NCAD X The Visual Loop Professional Development Mentorship Prize and was Shortlisted for the prestigious NCAD Staff Prize.
Her 2016 solo show ‘Íobairt/Sacrifice’ at Clifden Arts Festival, funded by Údarás na Gaeltachta explored the spiritual landscape and modern usages of the Irish bog with environmental themes as a subtle presence. She has also exhibited work which explores the coastal environment with art and archaeology collective ‘The Inishlyon Project’ at Clifden Arts Festival as part of the ‘Ar Cholba an Uisce/By the Water’s Edge’ exhibition in 2017.
The phrase ‘The Medium is the Message’, coined by philosopher Marshall McLuhan is central to her work. Found objects, found fabrics and experimental biodegradable materials are a mainstay of her artistic practice. Her works are textured and multilayered and the processes of sampling, remaking, dismantling and creating multiples are key elements of her work.