Designer/Metalsmith/Sculptor
Kevin J. O'Dwyer
Much Like himself, O'Dwyer's work is an unconventional mix of tradition and innovation. Dramatic and elegant in its form, the work engages the viewer to look beyond the main object to the space that surrounds. It whirls in a frozen dervish dance that embraces the air and makes the negative form part of the piece.
A Sparkling Party
Michelle Bufano
Executive Director of Chihuly Garden and Glass
“Blending Arts and Heritage: Producing Culture in Rural Landscapes”
“O'Dwyer's sculptures transform industrial relics into meaningful monuments of cultural memory and environmental hope.”
“His works embody a poetic balance between nature’s timelessness and human history's impermanence.”
“Functional yet poetic, these sculptures invite visitors to reflect on their place in the evolving landscape.”
“A compelling example of how art can engage community and history without sacrificing aesthetic integrity.”
O'Dwyers silverware, teapots and candelsticks are truly dramatic in design. Each beautiful handcrafted piece defies convention. Indeed, their ambiguity blurs the boundaries between function, fashion and pure sculpture.
Artizana Gallery
Ramez Ghazoul
Director
O'Dwyer’s passion seems to lie in melding natural and industrial histories, exploring how artefacts—whether tools, architectural fragments, or industrial leftovers—tell stories about human interaction with place.
His work often acts as a bridge between archaeology, ecology, and art, creating spaces where history, memory, and environment meet.
20th Century Silver
O'Dwyer's extravagant teapots have the same confident presence as those Rocco examples of the eighteenth century that made teatime such a social and cultural focal point.
Helen Clifford, Curator , 20th Century Silver, British Craft Council
Espace Paul Ricard, Paris
"Magnificient!" —
Colette Barbier, curator
When it comes to crafting silver, this Irishman could be considered something of an alchemist given his power to convert this unyielding material into timeless objects of pleasure and purpose.
An Argent Lover
Objets De Lux Silverware
Aashmita Nayar
The future of silver is in the hands of modern craftsmen such as Kevin O'Dwyer who uses the wealth of past experience to forge ahead with new ideas.
The Ulster Museum
Elise Taylor
Curator of Silver
Vessel - Holding Place
These containers and vessels definitely hold their place in the world of stunning art objects as well as in the world of metalsmithing.
Beth Wicker curator
Liverpool Biennial 2010
Sparkling Party features extravagant flourishes and forms which span any perceptible boundaries between art and craft. A pair of candlesticks with another, even more flamboyant centrepiece, are clearly functional but make a powerful statement, existing in and demanding their own space, and time to absorb their impact.
These works are sculptural, architectural and - although this is controversial - functional. A tiny teapot which would not pour a full cupful of tea carries much more than its own weight in a magnificent silver coil; beautifully ostentatious fronds float upwards in the items featured here from the series Below Sea Level.
This is a unique exhibition by a world-renowned artist, and very different to anything you are likely to see in the Biennial: so please don't be distracted by all the other wonderful work going on. This is well worth a visit!
Gayna Rose Madder
O'Dwyer integrates the traditional metalwork of his ancestors with a modernist aesthetic, and achieves a remarkable crossover between the ancient and the comtemporary.
Metal In and Out of Time
Society of North American Goldsmiths
John Grande