Oliver Whelan was born in Dublin, Ireland. Ollie began his study at Waterford College of Art and Design and carried on through The National College of Art and Design receiving a first class honour in Painting. On completion of his degree Oliver won the Australian European award in 1980, for a one-year study abroad. Ollie had a solo show in Melbourne at the end of that year. On his return he was invited to lecture at the National College of Art and Design and the College of Marketing and Design, IADT.

In this time he initiated and organised the very first studio complex in Dublin, which spurred on a number of other studios in the city. During the 90’s he became a committee member of the Irish Wide Open Exhibition Living Art.

In the early 2000s Oliver became a Board member and then on to Chairperson of CIRCA an acclaimed Irish and international art magazine.

Awards included; Department of Foreign Affairs Travel Award to exhibit in the Australian Bicentennial Exhibition. Traveling scholarship from the department of foreign Affairs to exhibit in Mexico, Australia and Poland. He has been exhibiting from the 70’s, he would have 20 solo shows and has exhibited in hundreds of group exhibitions, Samples of these would be. Three Artists Exhibition, Projects Arts Centre The Fruit Market Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland. Four Artists at the Project, Dublin. Guinness Peat Aviation Exhibition, Royal Hibernian Gallery, Dublin. Edinburgh Festival / Group Show – invited artist. Solo Show, Realities Gallery, Melbourne, Australia Three in a Landscape, Guinness Hop Store, Dublin, Traveled to 7 venues in Ireland including Sligo, Butler Gallery Kilkenny, and the Wexford Arts Centre Banquet Show, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin. Two pages for “The Great Book of Ireland. Solo Show, RHA Gallagher Gallery, Dublin The OPW State art collection traveling exhibition to European capitals Solo Show, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin Solo Show, Marie de France Gallery Jalapa Mexico. RHA invited Artist (Irelands premiere open Art exhibition) Municipal gallery Dublin, group show . Invited Artist RHA annual exhibition NCAD Collection Show NCAD Gallery. Galeria Stalowa Warsaw Poland Nov 2013. Residency /studio Atelier 303 Berlin, Germany. In 2002 Oliver gave a lecture on his practice at the Art in the digital world Tate Britain 2002/2003. Oliver currenly lives in Dublin and spends his summer in Berlin. He is a Lecturer in Painting at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland.