1990 Loving isn’t for the faint hearted
Love Tokens – 1977, 1978, 1981, 1987, 1990, 1996.

Exhibited at the RHA Annual Exhibition 2020 the six photographic prints, of hand embroidered samplers, refer to love. They are full of personal emotion.

The Titles of the work denote the year that the embroidery was made. The physical tokens are small in size, each not bigger than 16 X 22 cms. approx

At the time they were made, there was huge vulnerability and even now, 30 years later, that vulnerability is still there.

Embroidery features often in O’Brien’s work.

Love tokens are also included in an earlier work, The Ophelia Room, 2000, whereby five hand embroidered, Memento (Mori) referenced Ophelia’s unrequited love.

These hand-made tokens were made annually for Valentine’s Day over a 16 year period, one per year.

The sentiments that are expressed are universal in their simple yearning for love and acceptance. They symbolise the ideal of Love.

Sometimes it doesn’t work out quite as planned.

They didn’t fail in their project because they kept the Artist’s heart open.

Love always finds a home. Sometimes, not always where it is expected.