Niall O' Brien grew up in Dublin, immersed from an early age in the ancient Irish traditions of skateboarding and hip hop. His immediate friends and travels became the focus for a growing interest in photography as a means of preserving fleeting moments and feelings.

Having since moved to London he is out cutting his teeth in the way he knows best with honest, unpretentious documentary photography. His work is total immersion, no toe dipping or half-arsed efforts here - this is white knuckle, spit and sawdust stuff. There are, like the man, no half measures in his work.

His first major solo show is in the massive Art Works Space in the new Hempel Hotel, it is a documentation and portrait of a group of young punks called the Kingston Brew Crew K.B.C. O'Brien's work is a committed and gritty piece of documentary photography in the vein of Larry Clark, who he sites as an early influence.

He explains that gaining the trust of the group took nearly two years, at first they all thought he was a paedo and it wasn't until they'd met his girlfriend and found out she plays in a band that they began to trust him. Now he considers them all friends, although this sometimes raises moral dilemmas, should he intervene in a situation which could escalate into violence, arrest, injury and potentially all three or maintain his distance as a photographer?

His approach to the project suits its subjects. He is not afraid to get himself into trouble for his art. The large scale grainy images are beautiful and captivating, often violent and aggressive, this is a front row view into the world of a tightly-knit group, whose inner workings will remain a mystery to the viewer and probably to themselves for a long time.

Good Rats runs from Mon. Feb 1st to Thurs. 11th March 2010
Arts Works Space.
Lower Ground Floor. The Hempel Hotel. 31-35 Craven Hill Gardens.
London. W2 3EA.

artworkspace.co.uk/niall-o-brien
niallobrien.co.uk