Sean O’Neill
Origin: Long Island, New York
Currently Exhibiting in: New York City
Social Media: Instagram | LinkedIn
Bio:
Sean O’Neill is a New York-based artist whose work delves into themes of friendship, community, and the emotional complexities of human connection. Raised on Long Island and deeply rooted in the power of interpersonal relationships, O’Neill’s creative practice reflects the importance of community-building and collective love, especially during challenging times. Through a distinctive use of concise color palettes, high contrast, and humanoid figures, O’Neill captures the raw dynamics of relationships—both their beauty and their pain.
O’Neill’s work is informed by their experiences of community activism, emotional collaboration, and collective liberation. The artist’s layered approach to storytelling is imbued with their identity as a queer, trans artist and the influence of those closest to them. With a passion for uplifting emerging creatives, O’Neill has also been involved in curating pop-up exhibitions to support young local artists.
Featured Artwork at Bushwick Gallery
Honeymoon (Codependent Homoerotic Friendship)
- Year of Creation: 2024
- Medium: Acrylic and charcoal on canvas
- Dimensions: 36 x 42 inches
- Price: $900 USD
Description:
Honeymoon (Codependent Homoerotic Friendship) is a deeply personal exploration of unhealthy friendships, emotional infatuation, and the difficult process of letting go. Through expressive layers of acrylic and charcoal, O’Neill navigates the thrill of connection and the devastation of its breakdown, reflecting the turmoil of moving on from toxic relationships. Inspired by symbols like the ouroboros and purgatory, this piece embodies the cyclical nature of emotional entanglement and the eventual awakening to self-worth.
O’Neill’s technique of layering washes, texture, and contrast parallels the emotional depth of the work. The subdued, limited palette mirrors the tension between love and obsession, while the raw brushstrokes and textured surfaces reflect the cathartic process of emotional release. The piece is a testament to healing, self-discovery, and the strength found in community.
Exhibition Information
Exhibition Title: Love and Heartbreak: A Duality
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 13 / 6PM-8PM
Exhibition Dates: February 13 – February 20
Theme: Love and Heartbreak: A Duality explores the emotional spectrum of human relationships, capturing both the joy of connection and the pain of separation. Sean O’Neill’s Honeymoon (Codependent Homoerotic Friendship) embodies the difficult process of navigating toxic friendships and rediscovering self-worth. With its layered storytelling, emotional symbolism, and reflective tone, the piece provides a poignant commentary on love’s dual nature, making it a key contribution to the exhibition’s overarching theme.
Guided audio experience
For accessibility, the full video transcript is provided below for those who prefer to read or are unable to listen.
“Love and heartbreak don’t always arrive in the forms we expect. Some of the deepest wounds come from friendships—the ones that blur the line between devotion and destruction, care and codependency. In Honeymoon (Codependent Homoerotic Friendship), Sean O’Neill captures the intoxication of emotional entanglement and the quiet devastation of realizing you’ve lost yourself in someone else.”
“Two figures—twisted, wrapped, caught in the gravity of one another. The strokes are bold, urgent, bodies outlined in searing red and cold electric blue. They pull, they resist, they collapse into each other, bound by something neither love nor hate, but something more complicated. Something more dangerous.”
“O’Neill draws from symbols of endless cycles—the ouroboros, the loop of obsession, the purgatory of staying in something long after it has expired. The figures’ limbs bleed into one another, indistinguishable at times, echoing the suffocating closeness of friendships that demand too much. The contrast of sharp, dark lines and blurred washes of color mirrors the emotional chaos within—where does one person end and the other begin?”
“There is beauty here, too. Because to feel this deeply, to crave connection this much, is profoundly human. But this painting is not just about longing—it is about awareness. About realizing that love, in any form, should not consume. That letting go is not abandonment; it is survival.”
“As Honeymoon unfolds, it calls to mind the relationships that have shaped us—the ones that held us up and the ones that held us down, the ones fought for and the ones left behind. This is a painting of rupture, of reckoning, of stepping out of the loop and learning to stand alone again.”