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Visual Arts
& Artists

What’s happening in art

Although not as famous and well-known as its music and literature scenes, Dublin’s art scene is gradually standing out on its own as Ireland’s modern visual arts movement continues to develop. Much of Ireland’s contemporary art has emerged from art galleries and studios in Dublin. From graphic design to photography to painting, Dublin’s artists are using every conceivable medium to bring their ideas to life. Much of their innovative work is on display in venues throughout the city, from small neighbourhood art galleries to major national museums, including the National Gallery, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and the Dublin Gallery The Hugh Lane.

Known as the home of renowned artists Jack Butler Years and Francis Bacon, the city continues to produce some of the country’s most acclaimed established and emerging artists.

These artists include James Coleman, Shane Cullen, Clare Langan and Grace Weir. Grace Weir’s work melds science with philosophy to create visual and cinematic illusions in her acclaimed film installations. Some of Shane Cullen’s most famous work has paid homage to key moments in Ireland’s history, evoking a traditional of nationalist themed art by Ireland’s leading artists. Unveiled in 2005, The O’Rahilly in Dublin commemorates the only member of the 1916 leadership killed during the Easter Rising. In 2002, the sculptor also created The Agreement, a carving of the entire text of the Good Friday Agreement.

Some of the most creative work by Dublin’s visual artists has been seen in photography. The city is the home to several of Ireland’s leading avant-garde and contemporary photographers. Renowned photographer Kevin Abosch hails from Dublin and has photographed some of the most famous faces in the world, including actors Angelina Jolie, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Scarlett Johannson, technology leaders Eric Schmidt, Jimmy Wales, Dennis Crowley and Jack Dorsey, and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. His most famous projects included a series of 1000 portraits of Parisians and 250 photographs of residents from Ireland’s 32 counties. Experimental photographer Clare Lagan has also gained international praise for her innovative work. Her images of landscapes often evoke of surreal and haunting feelings.