Liam Ó Maonlaí "Prayer"
Kana Kawanishi Gallery
Until Dec 27
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Artists
Liam Ó Maonlaí
KANA KAWANISHI GALLERY is delighted to present the solo exhibition “Prayer” by Liam Ó Maonlaí, opening Friday, November 28, 2025.
Liam Ó Maonlaí, born in Dublin in 1964, is a visionary artist whose creative journey flows as freely as the wind. Renowned as a transcultural musician with an Irish root and tradition, he has embraced diverse cultures worldwide—connecting deeply with musicians and communities across Ireland, Mali, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tibet, India, Australia, Spain, France, and Japan, among others.
Celebrated by Bono of U2 as “the world’s greatest white soul singer,” Ó Maonlaí has graced stages such as Fuji Rock Festival numerous times, including 2019 and 2025. A multi-instrumentalist, he masterfully plays the piano, guitar, Irish bodhrán, and Irish harp. Yet, long before he encountered the piano, he first discovered his artistic voice through painting—an impulse rooted in childhood memories of exploring color and form.
“I recall my earliest artistic memories during nursery school, when my mother was acting. A woman would appear suddenly, sketching on the blackboard—‘This is how you draw a dog,’ ‘a cowboy,’ ‘an elephant’—then disappear. One day, I drew a swimming dog and water, and felt an undeniable spark: ‘I can do this. This is my expression.’ I’ve been drawing ever since.”
Alongside his musical expression, Ó Maonlaí has always carried art supplies and sketchbooks, continuing his painting in parallel. In his music, he deeply embraces his Irish identity, centering the Gaelic language—his ancestral roots—as a vital core, and plays while liberating his soul, resonating with cultures worldwide.
In his visual practice, it is as though he draws colors from a primordial, abstract world. This exhibition will feature paintings created over decades in his Dublin studio, alongside self-portraits from his 2025 Japan visit, as well as evocative abstract landscapes and inner-worldscapes. During his residency at the gallery, he will also produce new pieces, expanding this vivid dialogue between the inner and outer.
“I have been enjoying visual expression for as long as I can remember. It is a source of great peace and pleasure for me. It is rare that I exhibit my work. It is for my peace and pleasure that I do it. It is a prayerful feeling.”
Coinciding with his debut solo album in 17 years, PRAYER/URNAÍ, this exhibition marks Liam Ó Maonlaí's first solo show at a prominent white-cube gallery—an intimate universe of color, spirit, and profound expression. We warmly invite all to experience "Prayer"—a celebration of creative prayer, universal connection, and the enduring power of art.
Liam Ó Maonlaí, born in Dublin in 1964, is a visionary artist whose creative journey flows as freely as the wind. Renowned as a transcultural musician with an Irish root and tradition, he has embraced diverse cultures worldwide—connecting deeply with musicians and communities across Ireland, Mali, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tibet, India, Australia, Spain, France, and Japan, among others.
Celebrated by Bono of U2 as “the world’s greatest white soul singer,” Ó Maonlaí has graced stages such as Fuji Rock Festival numerous times, including 2019 and 2025. A multi-instrumentalist, he masterfully plays the piano, guitar, Irish bodhrán, and Irish harp. Yet, long before he encountered the piano, he first discovered his artistic voice through painting—an impulse rooted in childhood memories of exploring color and form.
“I recall my earliest artistic memories during nursery school, when my mother was acting. A woman would appear suddenly, sketching on the blackboard—‘This is how you draw a dog,’ ‘a cowboy,’ ‘an elephant’—then disappear. One day, I drew a swimming dog and water, and felt an undeniable spark: ‘I can do this. This is my expression.’ I’ve been drawing ever since.”
Alongside his musical expression, Ó Maonlaí has always carried art supplies and sketchbooks, continuing his painting in parallel. In his music, he deeply embraces his Irish identity, centering the Gaelic language—his ancestral roots—as a vital core, and plays while liberating his soul, resonating with cultures worldwide.
In his visual practice, it is as though he draws colors from a primordial, abstract world. This exhibition will feature paintings created over decades in his Dublin studio, alongside self-portraits from his 2025 Japan visit, as well as evocative abstract landscapes and inner-worldscapes. During his residency at the gallery, he will also produce new pieces, expanding this vivid dialogue between the inner and outer.
“I have been enjoying visual expression for as long as I can remember. It is a source of great peace and pleasure for me. It is rare that I exhibit my work. It is for my peace and pleasure that I do it. It is a prayerful feeling.”
Coinciding with his debut solo album in 17 years, PRAYER/URNAÍ, this exhibition marks Liam Ó Maonlaí's first solo show at a prominent white-cube gallery—an intimate universe of color, spirit, and profound expression. We warmly invite all to experience "Prayer"—a celebration of creative prayer, universal connection, and the enduring power of art.
Schedule Now in session | Nov 28 (Fri) 2025-Dec 27 (Sat) 2025 13 days left Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://www.kanakawanishi.com/en-exhibition-059-liam-o-maonlai | ||||
| Venue | Kana Kawanishi Gallery http://www.kanakawanishi.com/ | ||||
| Location | 1F 4-7-6 Shirakawa, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0021 | ||||
| Access | 9 minute walk from exit B2 at Kiyosumi Shirakawa Station on the Hanzomon line. 9 minute walk from exit A4 at Kikukawa Station on the Toei Shinjuku line. 14 minute walk from exit A3 at Kiyosumi Shirakawa Station on the Toei Oedo line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-5843-9128 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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