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Peter Carroll

As Autumn sets in, I always seek out new rooms, new interiors  and new ways into things. I have recently had to alter my habitual derive with the temporary loss of one of two virtual friends I visit alone weekly – Francis Bacon discussing his work in a fascinating interview recorded with Melvyn Bragg in 1985 at the Hugh Lane Gallery, is now under refurbishment. The interview never disappoints! While I will continue to visit my other virtual friend Eileen Gray at the National Museum, Collins Barracks  – more on that later – I have been asked to share my hibernatory route for the coming month to pair with my seasonal state of minimal activity and reduced metabolism.

 

“Look at the Harlequins!” – Isabel Nolan at The Kerlin Gallery

Ahead of Isabel Nolan’s forthcoming representation of Ireland at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, this impressively energetic exhibition (where Isabel gets her insatiable energy from I don’t know!) offers an insight into the artist’s practice characterised by its shifting movement between mediums, where sculpture, textiles and works on paper are held in lively dialogue, celebrating and communing with historical figures and works of art and architecture that speak to us across centuries. The works look, in particular, towards the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance – an era marked by transformative technological changes, pandemic, religious and political conflict, not unlike today. Nolan seizes upon small, perhaps overlooked, details from historic works that reveal interpersonal dynamics, or reflect upon the place of humans within the world.

 

Culture Club: Architectural Lecture Series – Joly Theatre, National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin

This new Autumn Winter 2025/26 public lecture series is the initiative of OPW State Architect Conor Sreenan. He has gathered a number of critically acclaimed architecture practices of varying scales contributing to the development of cultural infrastructure in Ireland to explain how it is what they do and why. Aidan Conway of MARMAR – a practice that specialises in designing homes and small-scale cultural infrastructure – will speak on 6th November 2025. Ryan Kennihan of RWKA – a practice committed to the creation of careful and timeless architecture – will speak on 27th November 2025. All lectures are in the Joly Theatre in the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin. 

 

Art as Agency – IMMA Collection at The Irish Museum of Modern Art

Art as Agency is a major three-year display celebrating The Irish Museum of Modern Art’s Permanent Collection showcasing over 100 artists from the 1960s to the present, highlighting key works including many recent acquisitions. One exhibit that needs to be singled out for their energy and charge – Juan Muñoz’s ‘Dublin Rain Room, 1994’ is a solitary model of the room in which the model is placed where rain falls within the room unrelentingly. The work poses a subject–object problem; we are afforded the position of having a total or encompassing view of a world as represented by the space of the room – however, the subject – ourselves looking into the model – is absent. The work speaks beautifully of the space between. The exhibit is located in Gallery 1 from now until 6th February 2028. 

 

RESIST – Corban Walker at Solomon Gallery

There will be a special late opening and wine reception from 6pm to 9pm on Friday 7th November to celebrate the opening of RESIST by Corban Walker, who continues his explorations of scale and architectural constructs, shaped by his perception of a world mapped out to accommodate a different measure from his own. In a process of distillation Walker integrates themes ranging from the climate crisis, disability, and the deplorable genocide in Gaza. One of the more powerful works on display, ‘Untitled (Baby Annihilation)’, is a vertical stacking of porcelain clay pillows that tower up between bookends of aluminium blocks – a harrowing echo of the babies killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza.

 

Looking at Islamic Design – Chester Beatty Museum, Dublin Castle

The Islamic collections at the ever-mesmerising and enchanting Chester Beatty are a world-renowned resource for the study of Muslim culture. We really are blessed to have such a resource to enjoy freely. The museum holds around 300 historic copies of the Qur’an, Islam’s holy book, produced across west Asia as well as north and west Africa, in a diverse range of fine calligraphy and beautiful illumination. Jo O’Rourke will explore some of these aspects featured in the current works on display. This ‘In Focus’ tour at 1.10pm 11th November 2025 is free – no booking is required. The tour is limited to 15 participants.

 

A parting note… Come on Eileen!

My other virtual friend is Eileen Gray captured by author Maeve Binchy who met her in her Paris home just months before she passed away aged 98. The recording forms part of the Eileen Gray exhibition on the third floor of the National Museum, Collins Barracks. I love to commune alone with the film of Eileen of a Sunday morning as she folds a piece of card to make a concave screen while at the same time describing the process of lacquering – her intelligence and curiosity are utterly beguiling. While the Eileen Gray exhibition at the National Museum posthumously realised one of Gray’s last ambitions – to have her work brought back to Ireland I must ask the question though – does the exhibition sufficiently honour the memory of Eileen Gray? Regarded as one of the most influential 20th Century designers and architects, the exhibition includes such important items as the adjustable chrome table and the non-conformist chair. However the exhibition is looking sadly tired and exhausted. Eileen Gray needs to be celebrated and valued more publicly as the modern self-taught architect and designer. Perhaps if we all visited Eileen we could pressure the National Museum for more value to be bestowed and made evident?