Culture Night returned to Dublin this year and the city was energised by multitudes of people attending in-person events. Art exhibitions played a crucial role in the evening, with some of the key highlights included extended opening hours for several galleries as well as an expansion of the types of art hosted in these spaces.
Though Culture Night has passed, the online aspect of the art events means that many are still available to view. Below are five of the best art events from Culture Night with details on how you can still interact with them.
Hugh Lane Gallery
The Hugh Lane Gallery converted its hall of sculptures into a concert and screening area. The music of Sorca McGrath floated through the gallery as people sat watching the accompanying film. On the opposite end of the gallery, Drawing Inspiration created an interactive experience that presented the opportunity for everyone to become an artist in the gallery. With a large clipboard, pencils, several sheets of paper and postcards inspired by works on display, everyone had the possibility of creating their own artwork. The gallery had created a well-rounded experience for those interested in participating in Culture Night, transforming the standard experience of walking through a gallery into an interactive and captivating one. The gallery also created the opportunity for people to engage with art work online from culture night, including the film that premiered on its YouTube channel.
Tickets for the Hugh Lane Gallery are free, available here, and have several pieces online.
IMMA
IMMA’s Culture Night offerings included a biodiversity tour of its gardens and a dance performance in the courtyard. Its exhibitions were open longer, as Culture Night prompted a larger demand to view “The Narrow Gate of the Here-and-Now: Queer Embodiement” which is the first of a four-part series. Part two opens this Friday, September 24th, and explores the anthropocene.
Tickets to visit IMMA are available online and are free for exhibits.
Painting and Sketching Club’s 143rd Annual Exhibition
In the modern Windmill QTR, the Painting and Sketching Club had its 143rd annual exhibition. The club – which was established in 1874 and had Bram Stoker as one of its founding members – presented work by its current members and submissions by non-members. From Rebecca Jane Dolan’s impressive portrait “Suspect”, created with oil and gold leaf on linen, to Dave Madigan’s breathtaking portrayal of Dublin’s skyline, “I remember that summer in Dublin”, you will certainly find something that catches your eye.
The exhibition is still on display daily from 10:00-17:30 until September 25th and will be made available on the Club’s website as well.
National Gallery x French Embassy
The National Gallery turned into a giant canvas when it invited the public to digitally draw on its building’s front facade on Culture Night. Using a website called livedrawing.me, everyone could add their version of an artistic response to prompts, such as “Draw the best French food” or “Draw the ocean”. Since the event was a collaboration between the French Embassy in Ireland, the National Gallery and the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, the drawings were simultaneously screened in Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris. The square in front of the Merrion Square entrance was filled with people of all ages, eager to add their own view to the collection, even if some prompts like “draw your favourite place in Europe” were quite complex to draw, resulting in some of the participants turning to words like “home” that was, in my opinion, not even a bit less beautiful than the little pictures that were drawn.
Tickets are available for the National Gallery online for free.
The Space Between
Yoga studio The Space Between, known for its creative events, invited people to an experience titled “Rupture” which combined music and visual art. With its doors wide open and people sitting at tables outside, the energy of the space greeted you on the street before the relaxing smells from the essential oil diffuser could even reach you. Musicians were spread out in the studio space, all following one rule: they could only use three different notes, presenting “ultimate freedom within ultimate boundaries”. More classical sounds like the viola, played by Lisa Dowdall, were mixed with electronics and synth, resulting in an inspiring but still calming hum that made you feel alert and peaceful at the same time.
If you missed this event, you might still be interested in a future event the studio will offer, a sound bath led by Tom Toher on Sunday, October 3rd from 4:30 to 6 pm, a 90-minute experience for €35.
