What to see in the thriving arts scene …
Artist Gavin Murphy from Dun Laoghaire is the recipient of The Merrion Plinth 2026, the hotel’s biennial contemporary art award, recognising outstanding achievement in contemporary visual art. Gavin’s winning work Porte fenêtre (Bright yellow, olive green, brown, grey, off-white) was selected by a judging panel including chairman Lochlann Quinn, curator Patrick Murphy, former director of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) and gallery director Oonagh Young. In addition to receiving a €5,000 prize, Murphy’s work – which references the collage techniques of Cubist artists Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso – will be displayed alongside other works in the hotel’s esteemed collection. Quinn said; “The Merrion Plinth was established to celebrate exceptional contemporary artists and to create meaningful opportunities for their work to be seen by a broad audience. Gavin Murphy’s winning submission impressed the judging panel with its originality, ambition and artistic excellence.” @gavinjohnmurphy
Visual arts are the core of the current Boyle Arts Festival. Take the Arts Trail that transforms the town into an open-air gallery showcasing local and visiting artists, as well as the Open Submission art exhibition, and the main exhibition in King House curated by Paul McKenna. Other highlights include the screening of Guggi, whose artworks are also exhibited at the festival, as well as music performances from acclaimed acts including Onóir, Mary Coughlan, The Swing Cats, NoCrows and the 25-piece Sligo Baroque Orchestra. @boyleartsfestival
Hairstylist Dylan Bradshaw opened The Lab Gallery, Dublin’s new exhibition of work by Amanda Jane Graham. Called Peer, it’s in situ until August 15, highlighting hairdressing as an art form through the ages. @thelabgallery
Art & Soul: International Art + Sculpture Exhibition has arrived at Mount Juliet, part of Kilkenny Arts Festival. The Georgian estate has been transformed into an open-air gallery with a remarkable collection of life-size outdoor sculptures by artists including Salvador Dalí, Philip Jackson and Michael Ayrton, together with an impressive six-metre by three-metre installation by British sculptor Sophie Ryder. Inside the Manor House, visitors will find works by Andy Warhol, Banksy, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Bridget Riley. During the exhibition, which runs until September 5, visitors can also enjoy free artists’ talks and daily guided tours, available to book at gormleys.ie. @gormleysgallery
Hometree Charity’s eco-arts project The Dinnseanchas – meaning the stories a place tells – embarks on a national tour from July 29 with a programme of exhibitions, film, performance, workshops, walks and conversations; exploring our relationship with landscape, culture and nature restoration. The tour opens with a four-day residency at Skibbereen Arts Festival in Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre before travelling to Inishbofin, Uíbh Ráthach in Kerry and Ennis in Clare later in the year. @hometreecharity
If you’re attending Galway International Arts Festival, check out The Space Between: a solo exhibition from the co-director of Outset Gallery Luke Reidy, in collaboration with Helena McElmeel Architects. Blending paintings and screenprints, visitors can experience how colour and spatial design can shape the spaces we inhabit, and engage with art in shared cultural settings. @lukereiddyy
Abstract figurative artist Ana Carey’s new exhibition GASP continues her commitment to making contemporary art more accessible by displaying it within a lively setting. She has chosen The International Bar, one of Dublin’s best-known venues for comedy, theatre and live music on Wicklow Street in Dublin. Carey explains; “If you don’t reveal yourself, you can be forgotten. For me, putting the work out there, even when it feels frightening, is part of being an artist.” @anacarey.arts
Silvina Sisterna is the first recipient of Mason Hayes & Curran’s inaugural visual arts residential bursary at Fire Station Artists’ Studios in Dublin. The Dublin-based Argentinian artist’s work explores the experiences of migrant women from Latin America in Ireland through photography, moving images and text. The selection panel commended her thoughtful approach and the communities she collaborates with in her practice. @silvinasis
Earlier this year, artist Monika Crowley made an open call to those undergoing cancer treatment as part of a collaborative research project. Her Doubt is Beautiful exhibition on James Joyce Street in Dublin marks its culmination, inspired by Monika’s ongoing exploration of the complexity of life after cancer as it often forces people to clarify who and what matters most. @monikacrowley
The National Gallery of Ireland’s new exhibition Rembrandt to Matisse – A Celebration of European Works on Paper showcases over 50 of the Gallery’s finest works on paper. From Italian drawings by Andrea Mantegna and Ludovico Carracci to modern prints by Käthe Kollwitz and Max Beckmann, this exhibition shows the diverse subjects and styles that shaped European art through the centuries. Highlights include works by Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse and Picasso, more recent acquisitions and a small selection of rarely seen miniatures from the Sir Alfred Chester Beatty Gift of 1951. Works by Irish artists include Nathaniel Hone the Younger, Mary Swanzy, Roderic O’Conor and William Leech. From Italian Renaissance and French Rococo drawings to German Expressionist prints, it truly has something for everyone. The exhibition runs until December 6 with free admission. @nationalgalleryofireland
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