30/08/2026
In the current edition of the Irish Arts Review, Autumn 2026
EDUCATION | New Generation Gallery
Graduates 2026
Niamh NicGhabhann Coleman finds that the work of this year’s graduates reflects a turn towards ideas of work, as well as the complexity of human relationships
'What is work? Which work is worth keeping, when all work seems up for renegotiation? What work can our bodies and our brains uniquely do? These have become everyday questions, as artificial intelligence applications pop up in almost every corner of our lives. In a (perhaps unrealistic) best-case scenario, the appearance of these new technologies will result in an uptick in media literacy, in critical thinking and in assessment of the quality and provenance of information that is put before us. We will be more demanding in terms of the culture that we consume, wanting to be sure that what we have chosen to spend our time with is, in fact, worth hearing and seeing. Our inner lives, our creative and empathetic selves, deserve more than hallucinated distraction.', writes Niamh NicGhabhann Coleman.
For more from the IAR New Generation Gallery visit: https://www.irishartsreview.com/new-generation-gallery/
Image 1: Holly Walsh, Taidgh 2026 oil on canvas (diptych) 180 x 180cm
Image 2: Áine Crawford, Cuck Chair 2026 found chair, beef dripping and Vinamold feet 105 x 80 x 85cm
Image 3: Sarah McGath, The Black Sheep (Looks 2 & 4) 2026 black linen with screen print overlay, pleated chiffon, woollen knit
Image 4: Izzy Robinson, MycoMygrow 2026 mycelium and ash 36 x 45cm
Image 5: Sarah Murphy, 0011 0100 2026 oil monoprint on raw canvas with framed LCD prism film 56 x 56cm
Image 6: Darragh Hickey, Ciarán in his bedroom 2026 Archival pigment print from medium format colour negative on Hahnemüle Photo Rag Pearl 320gsm 47 x 47cm
Image 7: Róisín O'Rourke, Lamb herself 2026 performance (four hours)
Image 8: Aksana Sasnouskaya, No. 4 2026 primed canvas, acrylic paint, Russian sauce, charcoal and pigment 228 x 88 x 22cm
:
