‘I love Letterkenny, Letterkenny loves me’ (2009) is a two-foot-high neon sign which is installed across the western façade of the Multi Purpose Centre building, at Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

The artwork flicks between the statements ‘I love Letterkenny’, and ‘Letterkenny loves me’. According to the artist, the statement is a "crystal-clear assertion of a particular sentiment – one that may be more associated with the work of a tourist office, local council or marketing agency, advertising the wares of the area". The artist views the use of text in the artwork as extending previous elements within her practice. Presenting the statement in neon seems to undermine its authenticity, while provoking the audience to question how and why this statement is being made, and of course by whom.

Artistic Concept:

“In my research on Donegal, I came upon the internationally renowned German artist Joseph Beuys, and the visit he made to the Giant's Causeway in the early ‘70’s. His interest in Ireland stemmed from a love of Joyce, and his interest in the spiritual and elemental aspects of the country, people and places. In 1974, Beuys traveled to America to make a seminal performance work ‘COYOTE, I like America and America likes me’. Writing about this work he wrote, “I think I made contact with the psychological trauma-point of the United States energy constellation”. While ‘I love Letterkenny, Letterkenny loves me’ (2009) is not a tribute to Beuys, his ideas are useful when thinking about how to connect to a broader public, and in making a work that is generous, with an unambiguous affirmation.”

Tina O'Connell is an Irish artist living and working in London. She completed her MA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art, London, before taking another postgraduate degree in Marseilles, France. Following this, she undertook a prestigious Henry Moore Fellowship in Sculpture at Winchester.

She has previously completed residencies at: La Friche Belle de Mai (Marseilles); 18th St. Arts Complex (Los Angeles) and IMMA, Ireland. O’Connell’s solo exhibitions include: Templebar Gallery (Dublin), Belltable Gallery (Limerick), Project Arts Centre (Dublin), Kunstbunka (Germany), Spacex Gallery (Exeter, UK), College des Irelandais (Paris), Limerick City Gallery (Limerick) and The Jerwood Gallery (London). She has worked on a number of high profile commissions, and has received many awards, including the Lorne (Slade School of Art) as well as British and Irish Arts Council funding. 

She has recently completed three international commissions: a new collaborative work for a Sculpture Biennale, Germany (2012); a public art commission for Washington DC Arts and Humanities Commission, Centenary Cherry Blossom Festival (2012); and a collaborative work with Neal White for TULCA Festival of Visual Arts in Galway, Ireland (2013).