Isabel Nolan's exhibition 'Dreamshook' represents Ireland at the 2026 Venice Biennale, running from May 9 to November 22. The show features fourteen new works—including sculptures, drawings, and tufted tapestries—that explore the life of Venetian printer Aldo Manuzio, who introduced the semicolon, italics, and pocket-sized books. Nolan, a Dublin-based artist born in 1974, draws on themes of imagination, shared knowledge, and the transformation of dreams into communal reality, with works like the central tapestry 'Aldus Dreams of a Plentiful Supply of Good Books' blending fantasy and history in a vivid, cartoon-like style.
This exhibition matters because it positions Nolan within a lineage of Irish women artists while offering a fresh, absurdist take on historical figures and the nature of knowledge. By juxtaposing dense tapestries with airy steel and wood sculptures, Nolan creates a dialogue between opacity and transparency, reflecting on the ambivalence of enlightenment and its perils. 'Dreamshook' underscores Ireland's continued engagement with the Venice Biennale, a premier global platform, and highlights how contemporary artists reinterpret historical narratives to address enduring questions about creativity, communication, and shared experience.