photo from www.wearedublin.ie

Just finished reading this excellent, perceptive essay by Nathan Hugh O’Donnell about the precarious state of artist studio space (and the market) in We Are Dublin online magazine:

The story of Dublin’s artist-led spaces is a story about ownership, both creative and commercial: a story of a new movement of artists trying to find new ways of functioning in an increasingly inequitable society. At the moment, it might not have a name – it might not want a name, for that matter – but it might not be able to resist one for much longer.

It provides a concise précis of the rise and fall of artist spaces in the city since 2008, with provocative questions posed about public value, public provision, opportunity and agency in the visual arts. Well worth a read!