In this compelling body of new work, Walkways of the M50, O’Reilly turns his attention to the routes incorporated into the M50’s design to enable pedestrian access over or under its constant torrent of roaring traffic. O’Reilly’s paintings present the quiet and stillness of pedestrian spaces within noisy environments built to accommodate vehicles. The M50 is a city fringe. Overlooked edge-lands where urban and rural meet. Homogeneous yet local, landscapes of tension and banality, with a wide abundance of textural variety.
Bio.
John O’Reilly is an oil painter, focusing on banal and overlooked urban landscapes in subdued palettes. As a former graffiti artist, his early subjects included non-pedestrian restricted areas, where he often painted graffiti, especially the railway and abandoned sites.
His recent work describes walks around monolithic infrastructures designed to accommodate vehicles, with their collages of ever-changing urban textures through human activity, grime and light.
Instagram: @johnoreillyart
#walkwaysofthem50
Images: 01. John O’Reilly, Off Dunsink Lane, 2026, Oil on canvas, 40 x 60cm, Photography John O’Reilly, Image courtesy of the artist.
02. John O’Reilly, Fresh Paint, 2026, Oil on canvas, 30 x 24cm, Photography John O’Reilly, Image courtesy of the artist.
03. John O’Reilly, Grime Patch, 2026, Oil on canvas, 30 x 24cm, Photography John O’Reilly, Image courtesy of the artist.