A Minute With Boru O'Brien O'Connell of Dunes
Hi! This is a newsletter about artists I like.
I began acquiring art through some friends that worked in galleries. I started small, working on a limited budget, for stuff I could afford. As time passed, my collection grew, and it was exciting to watch many of the artists I'd collected go on to bigger shows and critical acclaim. My goal with this newsletter is to make a digestible resource for anyone interested in artists that are making great (and still affordable!) work, whom you haven't heard about... yet.
I have been following Boru’s gallery in Portland, ME for a bit and wanted to hear more about him and the gallery. I don’t think I’m too crazy in having a particular liking to galleries that are founded by artists. Artists truly supporting other artists is always cool. Thanks Boru!
Can you tell us a bit about your gallery and what made you take the plunge to setting up your own spot? Can u share some pics?
BO: Dunes was conceived on a birthday trip with my closest friends one summer (hence the name). It took a while before the circumstances coalesced and made it possible, but when they did, Portland felt right. I had been bouncing around the country post 2020 after being laid off, and wanting to take an intense dive into something I could own, that felt like a return to my wheelhouse. In addition to having a relationship to Maine, I wanted it to exist in a place that had the need, and not just shoehorn myself into another tiny NYC space. I did however want to bring New York (and other) artists to Maine, showing stuff that people here might not otherwise get to see, while also giving regional artists the chance to show alongside those artists. It was a natural extension of my practice and my life in New York of nearly 20 years. I'm an artist, so the ethos was to create something that felt artist-driven, perhaps closer to an alternative institutional space; with readings, screenings, discussions, etc, all happening in the context of a gallery. It's all a bit of an experiment, so I'm trying different stuff out. I make artist editions, I sell books, and ask each artist to curate a selection of books that inform their work, and offer those.
What is the next show you have planned?
BO: I have a solo show of Chris Domenick (who is married to Em Rooney, an artist included in the current show). Chris is a phenomenal artist, and an example of someone that I feel is underrepresented. This is one of the components of my space- to highlight people that I feel are incredible artists, and facilitate them getting to that next space that is going to blow everyone away. I think my innaguaral show with Miles Huston was an auspicious test case of this. Getting more recognizable names in the gallery is also in service of building that context. Chris had a solo show at Kate Werble in March of 2020 that was amazing, but as you can imagine, it didn't get the eyes it would have...After that I have a two-person show with Peter Shear and Jared Buckheister.
Can you tell us about these small works on offer by Owen W.
BO: Owen is an incredible painter. I'm not exaggerating when I say I've never gotten a reaction like this from people online, in particular other painters. So many painters. It's funny, they're ostensibly somewhat conservative looking, but his brain is just in some other, much weirder space. Perhaps closer to someone like a Krebber to me. He's communicating in literary ways that require a bit of work, a bit of context, friction to bring them out. And again, the fans, they are obsessed. Not joking. They buy more than one, they buy two, three! I've only got a few remaining. This is why I had him send the watercolors. The work is also price accesible (for the moment). There is something about an artist who makes a particular thing look easy, especially in this small, delicate manner. That's part of it. But also his touch, his mood, his filter of observation, they all swirl into these tableaus, these 'indoor plein air' paintings as I jokingly call some of them, gazing languidly out of a window, a bouncing ball as a motif? Sure. They all speak this language, the watercolors as well as the paintings. Owen is about to have his first New York solo exhibition at Laurel Gitlen, I have every confidence it will do well.
****Artstuff’s favorite below but more on offer for less than $500. Please email : Boru@dunes.fyi for more on offer and to purchase.
What resources do you advise for our readers, whom may not live in a big city, that could help them gain some more knowledge in art etc.
Resources. I would have to say the obvious free online places that give a primer to people are things like CAD/CAL, ArtViewer, TZVETNIK, SeeSaw, I think Bomb is a great publication that is a bit broader in its reach than some of the others. Instagram, I don't know man, it's a blessing and its curse, it's a silo. Sure, maybe if you live in Missouri (where I'm having a show next month!) it's how you find things, but find things that have been written about. Find things that have had a life somewhere other than instagram. Soon I hope to have my books online! Find things there!
Who should we have on next?
BO: Jacques Vidal, artist and founder/director of KAJE
Who should we have on next?
BO: Jamie Chan, artist
If we are in Portland, where should we go?
BO: Portland is a food town, so I'm going to stay away from that and say...Washington Baths? It's a beautiful bath house that also has experimental sound shows, a unique space. There are almost no photos online so you just have to come and see for yourself!