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    "I myself do nothing.

    The [Infinite] accomplishes all through me."

    -William Blake

    Rebecca O'Brien

  • About the Artist

    Through expressive gesture, complex layering and sharp lines, Rebecca aims to visually portray the 'art of living' along a central path: walking the balance between deliberated choices and seemingly ‘infinite’ chaotic and arbitrary events and forces. Each subject's eyes serve as windows to the soul and carry the intricate deeper messages of her work.

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    Who is Rebecca O'Brien?

    Where it all began..

    Growing up near Washington, DC, Rebecca was always a self-taught, but gifted artist. She was often recognised in local and regional competitions throughout the years. However, she chose to stay mostly private with her explorations across different media in the realms of painting and drawing.

     

    Entering into adulthood, she committed herself to a life of travel, learning languages, studying and teaching world history and language arts. In 2013 when she began making street art under the alias of “NFN8” (pronounced: “Infinite”), she was living in Shenzhen, China, working as a middle school international teacher... striving to remain anonymous.

     

    However, while in recovery from a serious accident in 2015, making art became her healer. The more she painted, the more she was met with surprisingly strong encouragement and affirmation. She was invited to regional art exhibitions and public festivals in China; then she began creating larger, public works in sponsored, public events throughout Asia. Due to her love for teaching, she also offered sponsored paint workshops to adults and older art students several times a year.

     

    Rebecca spent three years as a resident artist and communications manager at Jardin Orange Artist Residency in Shenzhen, China. Before she left China, she was invited to give a TEDX Youth talk in February of 2019 to inspire others with her story of following multiple dreams at once.

     

    Presently, Rebecca currently resides in San Diego, California, where she pursues a postgraduate certification in educational therapy, makes commissioned art works, and teaches part time at a private school.

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    Shows and Exhibitions

    A list of exhibitions in chronological order.

    1. Fusion International Group Exhibition, Whatever Art Space in OCT, Shenzhen, China; March 2015
    2. GlobalDrawProject Group Exhibition, ECI Cultuurfabriek, Netherlands; November 2016
    3. "Lines and Strokes" Solo Exhibition; Jardin Orange Art Gallery, Shenzhen, China; February 2017
    4. International Artists Group Show, Jardin Orange Gallery, Shenzhen, China; October 2017
    5. Meeting of Styles Group Exhibition; Amanda Wei Gallery, Hong Kong; November 2017
    6. Asia Contemporary Art Show, Amanda Wei Gallery, Hong Kong; March 2018
    7. Design Week Group Exhibition, Ideat Magazine, Shenzhen, China; March 2018
    8. Yello Off Da Wall (YODW)  Group Exhibition, Paskal, Bandung, Indonesia; May 2018
    9. “Days of Summer” Solo Exhibition, Merchants Group, Shenzhen, China; May 2018
    10. Affordable Art Fair, Amanda Wei Gallery, Hong Kong Exhibition Center; May 2018
    11. Amo La Diva "Her" Pop-up Group Exhibition, Jardin Orange Gallery, Shenzhen, China; August 2018
    12. Shenzhen International Art Fair, Group Exhibition, Jardin Orange Gallery, Shenzhen, China; November 2018
    13. 42nd International Watermedia Exhibition, Houston Watercolor Art Society, Houston, Texas, USA; March 2019.
    14. "Urban Feel" Group Exhibition, Jardin Orange Gallery, Shenzhen, China; March 2019
    15. Affordable Art Fair, Jardin Orange Gallery, Hong Kong Exhibition Center; May 2019
    16. "2020 Women in Art" Exhibition, Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, California, USA; March 2020
    17. "The Elephant in the Room" Exhibition, IU Kokomo Downtown Gallery, Kokomo, IN, USA; April 2020
    18. "Black and White" Exhibition, Site:Brooklyn Gallery, NYC, USA; July-August 2021
    19. "Mountain Sea + City + Mirage" Group Exhibition, Anita Chan Lai-ling Gallery, Hong Kong; November 2021
    20. "Differences" Exhibition, Diversia Gallery Exhibizone, Ontario, Canada; Nov-December 2021
    21. "Cats and Dogs" Exhibition, Red Bluff Art Gallery, California, USA; December 2021
    22. "InStyle Women's Creativity" Expo, Dalian Times Square, Shanghai, China; December 24 to January 23, 2022
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    Obras Artist Residency

    August 15 - September 15, 2019; Evora, Portugal

    Rebecca developed a new series of ink portraits during a 4-week stay at the Foundation OBRAS Residency. She was impacted by the current crisis of the burning of the Amazon Rainforest. She focused primarily on portraying 3 different tribes (Ashaninka, Yanomami and Munduruku) while highlighting their ceremonial face paint in gold as a vestige of humanity's oldest tribute to nature's beauty. She used gold and silver highlights to detail the works as well as experimented with leaving sections of negative space empty - as if cut out - just as their ancestral lands and heritage are being excised from the face of the Earth.

  • News

    Recent and upcoming..

    Review of the Event

    Black and White Group Exhibition

    July 27-August 24, 2021

    Site:Brooklyn Gallery, NYC

    This quick, expressive ink portrait "The Making of the Dan (旦) was selected to join the online group exhibition in NYC for summer of 2021. This show was juried by Shana Nys Dambrot, an art critic, curator, and author based in Downtown LA. She is the Arts Editor for the L.A. Weekly Magazine.

    Review of the Event

    Shoutout SoCal Interview

    November 18, 2020

    San Diego, CA, USA

    Rebecca's artistic journey was featured in a local interview in Shoutout SoCal, which is part of the Los Angeles based Voyage Group of Magazines. Their flagship publication, VoyageLA was started in 2015. Their mission is to help change the way people spend money. They want people to spend more of their money with mom-and-pops, small businesses, independent artists and creatives by putting creatives at the center.

    Review of the Event

    2019 Group Show "Urban Feel"

    March 23 - April 21, 2019

    Jardin Orange Artist Gallery, Group Exhibition;
    Shenzhen, China

    Joining the international line-up with 10 other resident artists from 4 different continents, Rebecca will be showing a portion of her new "yin-yang" series. This work will work with inverted tones and the grace of bird wings.

    Review of the Event

    International Watermedia Exhibition

    March 6 - April 5, 2019; Houston, TX, USA

    Rebecca's work "Sweet Face" was selected by curator and judge Andy Evansen to be exposed in the 42nd annual competition hosted by the Watercolor Art Society of Houston. This will be her first exhibition in the United States!

    Review of the Event

    TEDx Talk - The Traits of a "Life Bender"

    2019 February 23

    Level 5 Workshop

    Shekou International School, Shenzhen, China


    An independently organized event featuring students and adults giving short talks around the theme of "Invisibility". Rebecca will speak to her experience on how she became an artist - an continues to "bend" her path towards new goals and ideas. Watch her TEDx talk here: bit.ly/rebeccaobrien

    Review of the Event

    9th Annual Shenzhen International Art Fair

    2018 November 23-26

    Jardin Orange Gallery, Group Exhibition


    A collective group exhibition featuring the resident artists of 2018 from Jardin Orange Artist Residency.

    Review of the Event

    JO's 2018 Spring Group Exhibition

    2018 May 26

    Jardin Orange Artist Gallery, Group Exhibition;
    Shenzhen, China

    The meeting of East vs. West: 12 artists, 1 residency, please come see their works!

    Review of the Event

    HK Affordable Art Fair 2018

    May 18-20, 2018
    Hong Kong Expo Center

    The artist will have four of her works up, presented alongside several other artists (Belin, Cali, CEET, Peeta), sponsored by the Amanda Wei Gallery.

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    "Shekou Dreams", Solo Exhibition

    May 10-15, 2018

    Seaworld, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China

    The China Merchant Group, owners of the exclusive Seaworld neighborhood of Shenzhen, have invited Rebecca to present her complete body of works (as a tribute) to the Shekou community that encouraged her humble beginnings as an artist.

    Review of the Event

    Amanda Wei Gallery - Group Exhibition

    March 23-26, 2018

    Conrad Hotel, Hong Kong, 12th Edition

    Rebecca's latest and uplifting series of dog portraits will be on display to herald the new Chinese year of the dog. Her work will be joining more than 2,500 unique works of art spread across four floors comprising more than 80 art living spaces. The works on show will include original paintings, limited editions, sculpture and photography from some of the world's most interesting emerging and mid-career artists, to those housed in private and public collections, and sold at auction.

  • Blog

    Follow Rebecca's thoughts, musings, and reflections.

    November 24, 2018
    June 5, 2018 · art,creation,artist,profession,decisions
  • Instagram

    Add her account to get a daily peek into her days at work in the studio.

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