The Complex, a major multi-artform venue in Dublin, was evicted from its warehouse building in January 2026 after its lease expired. A public campaign to save it, supported by politicians and cultural officials, failed due to a lack of legal mechanisms to protect grassroots cultural organizations. This closure follows a pattern of similar artist-led spaces folding in Ireland, most recently Ormond Studios.
The McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College has launched "Collaborating in Conflict: The Yeats Family and the Public Arts," a comprehensive exhibition exploring three generations of the Yeats family. Featuring approximately 200 works including paintings, embroideries, and rare manuscripts, the show highlights the collaborative yet often tense creative output of patriarch John Butler Yeats and his children, including the poet William Butler Yeats and the painter Jack B. Yeats. Many of the items on display are being shown publicly for the first time or for the first time outside of Ireland.
Artist Eimear Walshe, who represented Ireland at the 2024 Venice Biennale, will stand trial alongside activists Áine Treanor and Aindriú de Buitléir, collectively known as the Shannon Three. They are charged with trespassing and illegally accessing a runway at Shannon Airport in County Clare during a 2024 protest where they raised a Palestinian flag and held a sign reading "US military out of Ireland." The protest, which shut down the airport for over half an hour, was staged on Land Day to draw attention to the conflict in Gaza and the use of the airport by US military and civilian aircraft allegedly transporting munitions to Israel.
Scholar Lucy Munro of King’s College London has identified the precise location of William Shakespeare’s only owned London home in the Blackfriars neighborhood. By analyzing a 1668 property map created after the Great Fire of London, Munro pinpointed the site—now occupied by Ireland Yard and St. Andrew’s Hill—which was previously known only through vague historical references to the Blackfriars Gatehouse.
The Guardian’s weekly wildlife roundup showcases a diverse array of animal behavior captured by photographers globally. Highlights from this collection include an ostrich sprinting down a Thai highway after escaping a cafe, seals lounging on a surfboard in Ireland, and migratory birds returning to the thawing Songhua River in China.
Au Centquatre, Circulation(s)s met en lumière la diversité de regards des jeunes photographes européens
The 16th edition of the Circulation(s) festival has opened at Centquatre-Paris, showcasing the work of 26 emerging photographers from 15 European countries. Organized by the Fetart collective, this year’s festival features Ireland as the guest country and emphasizes the hybridization of photography with other mediums, such as embroidery, tapestry, and digital installations.
The group exhibition ‘Bándearg’ (Pink) is set to open at Books At One in Louisburgh, County Mayo, featuring the work of five female artists based in Ireland. The show explores the color pink as both a physical medium and a complex cultural symbol, showcasing a diverse range of artistic approaches including the bold, hard-edge op art of Elphin-based artist Nickie Harrington.
The Silverman Gallery of Bucks County Impressionist Art is hosting a solo exhibition titled “Jean Childs Buzgo: Dreamscapes & Discoveries,” running from April 11 through May 3. The showcase features a diverse collection of the artist's newest paintings, including large-scale florals, local Bucks County landscapes, and works inspired by her travels to Scotland and Ireland. Many of the pieces originated during the pandemic in 2020 and have been recently revisited and resolved using a mix of oil, acrylic, wax crayon, and collage.
Artist and author Oliver Jeffers is holding his first exhibition in his hometown of Belfast in over 20 years. The show, titled "Disasters and Interventions," is on view at the Naughton Gallery at Queen's University and features a series of works where Jeffers inserts calamitous scenes—such as an oil tanker spill or an airship crash—into tranquil vintage landscapes, transforming calm into catastrophe. The project began when he found a discarded print in New York's Chinatown and began painting into it, eventually building a collection over 14 years that balances tragedy with a wry, thoughtful humor.
Artist Padraig McCaul will hold a 'Christmas Studio Exhibition' at the Mullingar Park Hotel in Mullingar, Ireland, on December 6 and 7. The show features new original oil paintings, limited edition prints, art cards, and wax print hurricane lanterns, offering Christmas gift ideas. This is McCaul's final exhibition of 2025, following a successful show at Art Source in the RDS, Dublin, and solo exhibitions at The Doorway Gallery, Dublin, and Lahinch Art Gallery. McCaul, an award-winning artist based in Mullingar with studios there and in Achill, has exhibited internationally in London, New York, and Australia.
The contemporary art exhibition “Bándearg” is set to open at the Books At One gallery in Louisburgh, County Mayo, featuring the work of five Ireland-based female artists. Running from April 18 to May 13, the show brings together Olivia Jones, Tina Poole, Anna Marie Savage, Nickie Harrington, and Maria Mollohan to explore the multifaceted nature of the color pink through diverse styles ranging from geometric precision to nature-inspired abstraction.
A local art exhibition in Waterford City, Ireland, has sparked controversy after residents labeled its content 'immoral' and pressured local officials to shut it down. The installation, which depicted a love story through various media, led to a series of complaints directed at Councillor Eamon Quinlan and other local representatives who serve on the boards of community arts organizations. Despite the public outcry, Quinlan refused to intervene, citing concerns over censorship and the role of a director.
Retired art teacher Trudi Killeen from Ballinakill is exhibiting a collection of watercolour paintings at Abbeyleix Library in Ireland throughout December. The exhibition features local scenes including Heywood Gardens, Gill’s Pond, Castle Durrow, and Abbeyleix Library itself, along with vibrant depictions of shops on Main Street Portlaoise and forestry scenes. Killeen, who graduated in art and held her first exhibition at Queen’s University Belfast in the 1960s, has been painting for decades and now works from her studio overlooking Gill’s Pond.
Irish maritime artist Pete Hogan will open his Sandymount studio on Dublin Bay to the public on Thursday, 11 December 2025, for an event titled Open Studio ’25. The exhibition, themed “Dublin in the Rare Auld Time,” will feature paintings, drawings, and sculpture, with a launch evening from 6 pm to 10 pm at 153 Strand Road, Dublin 4, followed by viewings by appointment. Hogan, a solo circumnavigator in the 1990s and a regular contributor to Afloat.ie, combines his sailing experience with visual art.
Alan Bolton, a digital artist from Tullamore, Offaly, has been selected as one of the featured artists at Context Art Miami 2025, opening December 2. He will present five new artworks at the fair, which highlights how technology is reshaping art. Bolton is one of five Irish participants among over 1,300 international exhibitors. The article traces his journey from creating Bebo skins as a teenager in Ireland to studying at Dublin Institute of Technology, moving to Los Angeles after graduation, and building a career as a leading digital artist.
The Ukrainian Art Studio ArtUA has launched its fifth anniversary exhibition, 'Revived by Art', at the People's Museum of Limerick, running from November 1 to 15, 2025. The exhibition features 150 works by nearly 40 artists, both Ukrainian and other nationalities, aged six to seventy-seven, using techniques such as painting, graphics, decorative arts, and graphic design. Founded by Ukrainian artist and teacher Lyubov Makarenko, who fled Mariupol after the Russian invasion, ArtUA has been holding free art classes at the Redemptorist Church in Limerick since July 2022. The exhibition focuses on personal memories and places dear to the artists, including Mariupol, Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Limerick, reflecting nostalgia, pain, and love.
This article compiles a list of open calls, residencies, and grants for artists in November 2025, featuring opportunities such as the Hopper Prize offering $4,500 and $1,000 artist grants, the Biafarin Awards with $4,000 CAD in cash grants and global exposure, and the GLEAM public art exhibition at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Other calls include the Contemporary Reflection exhibition in London, an open call for exhibitions at Municipal Gallery dlr LexIcon in Ireland, the INteriors show at Glen Arbor Arts Center, Sight/Geist film and performance series in New York, and a main gallery commission at Locust Projects in Miami, among others.
An art exhibition called The Crow Gallery is opening in Westport, County Mayo, during the Westival 2025 arts and music festival. Housed in the vacant The Local public house on Castlebar Street, the show features work from local artists with disabilities and artists who responded to an Open Call on the theme of disability justice. The exhibition explores perceptions of disability, challenges ableism, and aims to spark dialogue about inclusion. It is the first phase of a longer-term project to establish a permanent gallery, coffee shop, gift shop, and artist studios where disabled and non-disabled artists collaborate, with people with disabilities leading the space. The project was driven by Anna Wall, inspired by local artist Maitiu Quinn and her daughter Amber Walsh, and supported by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland’s Ideas Academy and a Mayo County Council Arts Office workshop.
The article lists numerous open calls, residencies, and grants for artists in October 2025, including the Hopper Prize offering $4,500 and $1,000 artist grants, the Abbey Harris Mural Fund in the UK providing up to £7,000 for public murals, and the 2026 Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. Other opportunities include the Contemporary Reflection Art Exhibition in London, an open call for 2027-29 exhibitions at Municipal Gallery, dlr LexIcon in Ireland, the Glen Arbor Arts Center's INteriors exhibition, the Sight/Geist Film & Performance open call in New York City, and a creative commission for the Sycamore Gap Tree by the National Trust. Deadlines range from October 10 to November 17, 2025.
This article compiles a list of open calls, residencies, and grants for artists in October 2025, including opportunities such as the Hopper Prize offering $4,500 and $1,000 artist grants, the Abbey Harris Mural Fund in the UK providing up to £7,000 for public murals, and the 2026 Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. Other listings include the Contemporary Reflection Art Exhibition in London, an open call for exhibitions at Municipal Gallery dlr LexIcon in Ireland, the Glen Arbor Arts Center's INteriors show, the Sight/Geist Film & Performance open call in New York City, a creative commission for the Sycamore Gap tree by the National Trust, and the Discovery Art Fair Frankfurt.
Maria May, an established artist from Ballaghaderreen, has opened her debut solo exhibition, 'Sruthanna Comhcheangailte – The Fluidity of Interconnection,' at the Ballinglen Art Gallery in Ireland. The exhibition, which runs until 15 March 2026, features abstract interpretations of the Major Arcana Tarot cards through mixed media, stitching, poetry, and collage, exploring themes of belonging, reconnection, and healing.
The 7th annual Askamore Art Exhibition opened at Askamore Community Centre Hall, featuring 93 works by 40 artists in media including acrylic, watercolour, crochet, digital illustration, oil, collage, and mixed media. The exhibition was officially opened by Una Cahill, Assistant Arts Officer at Wexford County Council, who praised the show as "really cool." Helen Kearney, Chair of Askamore Community Council, served as master of ceremonies and highlighted the community's talent. The exhibition runs from November 20th to November 23rd, 2024, with free daily admission.
The 7th annual Askamore Art Exhibition opened at Askamore Community Centre Hall in County Wexford, Ireland, on Wednesday evening. The exhibition features 93 works by 40 local artists, including paintings, crochet, digital illustration, and mixed media. Una Cahill, Assistant Arts Officer at Wexford County Council, officially opened the show, praising the community's talent. The exhibition runs from November 20th to November 23rd, 2024, and is free and open to the public.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council presented the dlr Open Exhibition 2025, themed 'Lucid Dreaming,' at the Municipal Gallery in dlr LexIcon from December 7, 2025, to February 15, 2026. The exhibition was curated by Davey Moor, Curator at the Royal Hibernian Academy, through an open submission process. The launch celebrated local artists, with Eimear Carvill winning the €1,000 Open Exhibition Award, and runners-up Kate McDonagh and Fergal Styles each receiving €250.
An exhibition at the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, Ireland, is showcasing the work of artists from the Crawford Supported Studios program. The program provides studio space, materials, and professional support for artists with intellectual disabilities, fostering their creative development and professional practice.
Artist Gina O'Connor has opened a new exhibition titled 'Into the Wild' in Kilkee, Ireland. The exhibition features her latest collection of works, which are inspired by the Atlantic landscape of the west coast, focusing on its colour, movement, and energy.
The Aisling Gallery in Hingham, Massachusetts, has become a featured stop on the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail, highlighting the work of Irish-born painter Vincent Crotty. The gallery showcases Crotty’s oil paintings, which bridge his two worlds by capturing the rugged, pastoral landscapes of County Cork and Dingle alongside the coastal vistas of New England and Maine. Crotty, who immigrated to the United States 35 years ago, has maintained a long-standing partnership with the gallery, evolving from a struggling artist into a prolific figure in the local Irish-American art scene.
A community art exhibition titled 'Spring into PopUpArt Newbridge' is being held at the Whitewater Shopping Centre in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. The show, organized by the voluntary group PopUpArt Newbridge, features works by local Kildare-connected artists and runs on weekends from February 6 to March 8. Admission is free, and visitors can meet artists and purchase artwork.
Artist Mary Doyle Burke is presenting an exhibition of her work at Thurles Library in County Tipperary, Ireland. The show will be on view until March 7.
Highlanes Gallery in Drogheda, Ireland, has opened its first exhibition of 2026 with 'Once Upon a Page', the debut solo show by emerging artist James Moonan. The exhibition features award-winning recent works alongside pieces Moonan created throughout his childhood, tracing his artistic journey. Moonan, a young creative with autism, has received national recognition in the Credit Union Art Competition. The opening was attended by the Mayor of Drogheda Michelle Hall, gallery director Aoife Ruane, representatives from Drogheda Credit Union, and members of the local community.