Mark O’Donovan – was awarded a scholarship to study a BSc in Electrical Engineering (University of Witwatersrand) and then worked in Mining (for Anglo American), a couple of years as a Software Design Engineer (for Teklogic) and later in Research (for the Energy Development Research Centre, University of Cape Town). It was a troubled time in South Africa and Mark was restless in his early career: He studied arts in his free time, travelled widely in Southern Africa and made artworks prolifically and with experimental freedom.​

O’Donovan is an original; an innovator with a background in engineering and a soul in the arts. In his early career he founded the “Odd Enjinears” (misspelled engineers) who played the arts festival circuits in South Africa and in the Netherlands with site-specific shows (in old power stations or a blacksmith forge for example). He has invented many musical instruments. He has also designed and created many public sculptures and commissioned private works. Currently he has returned to painting and is loving it.​

More recently Mark won the tender for the Khayelitsha Hospital Artworks project; a unique and pioneering project in which all Artworks adorning the hospital were produced through workshops with local artists and people involved in the construction of the hospital. Following this, he took on the job of director of Greatmore Studios Trust, working with staff, artists and arts outreach programs to further the careers of South African artists.