Dublin Gallery Weekend 2025 Transforms City Streets Into Contemporary Art Canvas
Dublin city centre is celebrating the power of art as Dublin Gallery Weekend takes over streets and venues across the capital. The four-day festival runs from November 6 to 9, 2025, transforming the city into a city-wide canvas with contemporary art, experimental performance, and creative energy flooding streets, laneways, and cultural landmarks, Tourism Ireland reported.
More than 40 galleries, cultural institutions, creative spaces, and artist studios across Dublin have united to present brand-new exhibitions featuring work from over 100 contemporary artists. Tourism Ireland noted that the programme spans painting, sculpture, installation, performance, digital art, and street work. Visitors can explore more than 60 free events, including walking tours, studio visits, talks, and workshops.
Patrick Graham Receives Inaugural Francis Bacon Lifetime Achievement Award
As part of the festival, organised by the Contemporary Art Gallery Association (CAGA), acclaimed artist Patrick Graham was named as the recipient of the inaugural Francis Bacon Lifetime Achievement Award. Speaking at the Francis Bacon studio at the Hugh Lane Gallery on Dublin’s Parnell Square, Mr Graham described the accolade as “fantastic.”
“Stunned as it’s very difficult to accept in a way that you’re worthy of an award,” Mr Graham said. He explained that he was “not being over modest, but it was really stunning” as Francis Bacon is a real hero of his, adding, “I’m still kind of in shock in a way.”
For Dr Barbara Dawson, Director of the Hugh Lane Gallery and one of the judges for the award, Mr Graham's win marks an important milestone for the visual arts in Ireland. “We have great prizes for literature, but the visual arts need their own awards and their own recognition which is now happening with this marvellous prize,” she said.
Hosting City-Wide Exhibitions Across Multiple Venues
The festival encompasses a wide circle of venues across the city centre, including Taylor Galleries, Solomon Fine Art, Green on Red Gallery, and Hillsboro Fine Art, which sits near the Hugh Lane Gallery. Jessica Taylor from the Taylor Galleries highlighted the weekend as a major event for CAGA members.
“It really is a celebration of art, in all its form and we are so excited that people will be coming into the city centre for four days with events happening everywhere!” Ms Taylor said. “We know that knocking on the door of one of the Georgian buildings galleries can seem daunting, but we are so welcoming and so pleased to invite everyone in, so just come on in and say hi.”
Dr John Daly, Chair of CAGA and owner of Hillsboro Gallery, echoed that welcoming sentiment. “When you enter any of the galleries in Dublin, you will always be met with a warm welcome friendly face,” he said, adding that nothing brings more joy than talking about art, introducing people to artists, and letting them explore the city through visual arts.
International and local exhibitions anchor the weekend’s itinerary. At the Kerlin Gallery, Isabel Nolan exhibits new work spanning sculpture, painting, tapestry, and words on paper ahead of the Venice Biennale, according to Tourism Ireland. Nearby, at Solomon Fine Art, Corban Walker presents explorations of scale and space, while the Kevin Kavanagh gallery showcases Geraldine O’Neill’s layered slow art installations. Hillsboro Fine Art displays Patrick Graham’s emotive paintings. Additionally, the Irish Museum of Modern Art hosts the first Irish solo show by Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuña, and SO Fine Art Editions features 40 Irish and Japanese printmakers responding to Lafcadio Hearn’s 1904 collection of ghost stories, Kwaidan.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dublin Gallery Weekend
What are the exact dates for Dublin Gallery Weekend?
Dublin Gallery Weekend 2025 runs for four days, from November 6 to November 9, 2025, across various venues in Dublin city centre.
How many venues and artists participate in the festival?
More than 40 galleries, cultural institutions, creative spaces, and artist studios unite during the event to feature work from over 100 contemporary artists.
Are the events during Dublin Gallery Weekend free to attend?
The festival features more than 60 free events, including exhibitions, trails, studio tours, talks, workshops, and late-night socials accessible to all visitors.
Who won the inaugural Francis Bacon Lifetime Achievement Award?
Irish artist Patrick Graham received the inaugural Francis Bacon Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the Francis Bacon studio in the Hugh Lane Gallery.