Artist Biography

Esther O’Kelly is a visual artist working primarily in paint, exploring the intersection of landscape, abstraction, and folklore. Her energetic, expressive works respond to her native landscape, capturing movement, shifting perspectives, and the layered experiences we carry—whether in a single walk, a lifetime, or across generations. Her practice reflects on disorientation and discovery.

A graduate of The National College of Art and Design, O’Kelly holds both a BDes and a BA (Hons), completed in 1998. She is a founding member and former vice-chair of Vault Artist Studios, a vibrant community of over 100 multidisciplinary artists. Her work has been exhibited widely, selected by independent curators for national and international group projects, and is held in private collections worldwide. She has also received support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the British Council, and CCA x Jerwood. O’Kelly currently works from her studio in Belfast.