Outsiders and Others is proud to present NICE, a new exhibition by Kim O’Brien.

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This important art installation by self-taught artist Kim O'Brien is her first exhibition since we

presented ENTANGLED in 2024. ENTANGLED was based on her own personal experience as a

patient in the BC mental health system here in Vancouver and was primarily depicted through

life-size sculptures that were felted, stitched, knitted, and sewn.

NICE has been in the making since May 2024.
 

This is what Kim has to say about the exhibition:

“Although not obviously connected, the catalyst for NICE was a psychiatric misdiagnosis. After

my hospital discharge, I was told an antidote about my time in involuntary ‘care.’ Staff told my

sister what a ‘nice’ woman I was — "your sister is a pleasure to have on the ward." That antidote

lived in my body as discomfort.
 

As I learned how to navigate the effects of psychiatric trauma, I continued to bump into my

compliance and seemingly agreeable nature while struggling with feelings of personal betrayal.

In an effort to understand my impulse of niceness, I began exploring how nice sits in my body.

Could I untangle myself from a trait that, until l recently, I had perceived as positive? Did I want

to?
 

Despite my reluctance, my inability to forgive myself indicated that I had to, and so began my

exploration of nice. This became a deep dive into childhood trauma done in therapy, and an

exploration of nice as both a personal and societal pressure within my art practice. What

emerged is a series of observa<ons and confessions so deeply personal that I distanced myself

by using THE WOMAN to examine my interior. NICE is ultimately a personal journey of

understanding and forgiveness.”

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This exhibition is an installation.

None of the artwork is for sale.