From November 6th to November 9th, Dublin’s galleries and artistic spaces will come alive, transformed into a “city-wide canvas”, according to the Contemporary Art Gallery Association (CAGA), the event’s organisers. More than 40 galleries, cultural centres, and artist studios are coming together to capture Dublin’s creative energies and celebrate Ireland’s most striking and compelling contemporary art. A landmark event in any art-lover’s calendar, the more than 60 free events organised by CAGA form an open invitation to all of the city’s inhabitants. With gallery brunches, curated art trails, and late-night socials, there’s space for all to find their own artistic place, their own haven–in an empty room deep in the gallery walls shrouded by Rococo canvases, in the bright and refreshing halls of the small and simple Kerlin Gallery, or in the chaos and muddle of an artist’s studio in the Olivier Cornet Gallery.
“Creativity, colour, and connection” form the central loci of the weekend, promising a vibrant festival not only celebrating the art itself, but also how these spaces tie us all together as Dubliners. Perhaps, then, what is most notable about the weekend is its emphasis on unity, on bringing together the sometimes-disparate strands of the contemporary art scene in the city and foregrounding the links that exist between us and the cultural institutions that we find as our neighbours. Take this weekend, then, to strengthen those bonds; find and establish a dialogue with one of your local art spots, and you’ll find yourself creating a home-away-from-home, a quiet and cosy space in a busy city to make your own.
If you’re in the market for something more conventional, the National Gallery’s upcoming Picasso: From the Studio exhibition is sure to satisfy. For a taste of something more modern, the Irish Museum of Modern Art is presenting Reverse Migration, a Poetic Journey–a solo exhibition by Cecilia Vicuña, a “legendary Chilean artist, poet and activist’. The Douglas Hyde Gallery offers something a bit closer to home (or, to Trinity, at least), and will showcase the Japanese artist Atsushi Kaga’s Just Another Human Experience, an installation that will transform the space into a temple invoking the four seasons. Just off Grafton Street, Kerlin Gallery is exhibiting Dublin-based artist Isabel Nolan, a painter of bold geometric canvases reminiscent of Mainie Jellett’s revolutionary work. SO Fine Art Editions, located in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, is also presenting a group exhibition of Irish and Japanese prints, if you’re in search of something uniquely multimodal and multicultural. However, this is just a sampling of the rich and diverse range of events gracing the city’s streets–check out all things Dublin Gallery Week 2025 at dublingalleryweekend.ie and grab a ticket (nearly all of which are free!) if you’re keen on giving Dublin’s art scene a chance. You certainly won’t be disappointed.
