Aengus Woods discusses the participation of Irish artists at the 61st Venice Biennale.⁠
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Check it out now by clicking here!
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Image: Alice Maher, Les Filles d’Ouranos, 1996/2025, Marine gelcoat, glassfibre reinforced polymer, moorings, weights, 12 elements, 50 × 60 × 50 cm each, installation view, 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, In Minor Keys; photograph by Marco Zorzanello, courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia.⁠

In the latest edition of the miniVAN, writer Maya Kulukundis reviews The Alice Project, a five-part immersive theatre experience created by Asylum Productions that took place as part of Kilkenny Arts Festival in August 2026.

Check it out now by clicking here!

The miniVAN is the online magazine published by Visual Artists Ireland. With uniquely commissioned content, The miniVAN explores the visual arts with an accessible view of all aspects of careers and practice that make up our visual community.

[Image] [All images]: The Alice Project, Episode One, 2026; image courtesy of The Kilkenny Arts Festival and Asylum Productions, photograph by Davi Matheson.

VAN Sept/Oct 2026 issue contains the Event Guide for VAI Get Together 2026 – Ireland’s annual networking event for visual artists, happening on Friday 11 September at TU Dublin, Grangegorman. This year’s programme includes a keynote lecture by feminist art collective, Claire Fontaine, The After Sessions with art historian Hettie Judah, panel discussions, and Artists Speak, as well as the ever popular Speed Curating, Specialist Clinics, and VAI Café.

As part of the Get Together 2026 programme, VAI is hosting the international curatorial conference, Navigating Power in Contemporary Curating on Thursday 17 September. This online event will explore the impact of shifting political, social, and economic conditions on contemporary exhibition-making. Six esteemed international curators will each present their research exploring how institutions can maintain criticality in response to the increasing pressures and responsibilities they face today.

In Career Development articles for this issue, Aengus Woods interviews Aleana Egan about her motivations, processes, and materials, Tom Lordan interviews Eamon Colman about his latest paintings, and Cherry Smyth reflects on the sensory connections between poetry, painting, and curation. There are Member Profiles on the work of Christine Prescott, Tom Doig, and Reuben Brown, while international coverage includes Nan Goldin’s survey exhibition at Grand Palais in Paris, and a triple-page feature article on the participation of Irish artists at the 61^st Venice Biennale.

On The Cover:

Aleana Egan, ‘A maritime child’, installation view, Interface, Inagh, July 2026; photograph by Ros Kavanagh, courtesy of the artist.

ON THE COVER

Aleana Egan, ‘A maritime child’, installation view, Interface, Inagh, July 2026; photograph by Ros Kavanagh, courtesy of the artist.

FIRST PAGES 

6          Roundup. Exhibitions and events from the past two months.

8          News. The latest developments in the arts sector.

COLUMNS

9          A Couple of Birdhouse Painters. Cornelius Browne discusses a recent joint exhibition with his wife Paula Corcoranat An Gailearaí.

Out Walking in All Weathers. Lian Bell considers ideas emerging from the Dissident Paths project in Berlin.

10        Cornafulla Bog. Meg Linton reflects on Amanda Ralph’s wetlands project in the midlands. 

Entangled Life. Cristina Nicotra discusses her programme exploring ecosystems where climate, art and community intertwine.

11        Philosophy of Abstraction. Anna Liesching outlines the colour philosophy of the late Austrian artist Alice Berger Hammerschlag.

From the Heart of Leitrim. Iarlaith Ní Fheorais outlines recent training as part of the Kunstverein Projects’ Creative Producers Programme.

FESTIVAL/BIENNIAL

12        Linguistic Threads. Aengus Woods discusses the participation of Irish artists at the 61^st Venice Biennale.

GET TOGETHER 2026 EVENT GUIDE  

15        Event Overview

16        Keynote: Claire Fontaine

17        The After Sessions with Hettie Judah

18        Panel Discussions

19        Artists Speak

20        Speed Curating

23        Specialist Clinics

24        Event Timetable

25        VAI Café

26        Curatorial Conference

CAREER DEVELOPMENT 

28        A Gestalt Thing. Aengus Woods interviews Aleana Egan about her motivations, processes, and materials.

30        Curated by Rain. Tom Lordan interviews Eamon Colman about his latest paintings.

31        Something from Anything. Cherry Smyth reflects on the sensory connections between poetry, painting, and curation.

INTERNATIONAL

32        Phantom Carousel. John Graham reviews Nan Goldin’s survey exhibition at Grand Palais in Paris.

SOCIALLY ENGAGED PRACTICE

33        Bones of Contention. Marie Brett highlights the need for health and wellbeing supports for socially engaged artists.

EXHIBITION

34        These Four Walls. Rachael Gunning discusses a recent group exhibition installed in Sadbh O’Brien’s home in Dublin 8.

36        Another Kind of Freedom. Phillina Sun responds to a recent exhibition byPhil Collinsat The Model in Sligo.

37        Dungannon Tropicana. Michaela Razafima Nash considers a new film recently shown at the MAC.

38        Panorama Europa. Sarah Long reviews the current exhibition at The Glucksman in Cork.

40        Reading Sideways. Tanad Aaron interviews Blaine O’Donnell about his recent exhibition in Wexford Arts Centre.

MEMBER

41        Rites of Homing. Christine Prescott reflects on her recent solo exhibition at Custom House Studios + Gallery.

42        The Sum and Its Parts. Benjamin Stafford discusses the collage work of Cork-Based artist Tom Doig.

43        A Space to Be Constructed Within. Reuben Brown discusses his research and the ephemeral archives of queer nightlife.

PUBLIC ART

44        Ghost Riders in the Sky. Eileen McDonagh outlines a sculpture restoration project in Hazelwood, Sligo.

45        Public Art Roundup. Site-specific works beyond the gallery.

LAST PAGES

46        VAI Lifelong Learning. Helpdesks, cafés, and webinars.

Get Together, our annual networking event for visual artists, is back this September and will be taking place over 2 days – Friday 11th September in TU Dublin Grangegorman Campus and Thursday 17th September online.
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The theme for this year’s event is Life : Being a Visual Artist.
The 2026 edition of Get Together brings artists together with curators, producers, funders and arts professionals to explore the realities, challenges, and possibilities of sustaining a life in the visual arts.

Join us and learn directly from artists and professionals, hear real-world experience, and better understand the supports, protections, and opportunities that have been hard won over recent years.

You must be a member and have a General Admission Ticket to be able to access Speed Curating and/or Clinics.These will be held in-person on the 11th of September Only.

Click here to book a ticket!

General Admission Tickets are: €30 for VAI members (Professional, Associate, Organisational and Friends – Strictly one per member), and TU Dublin Students; €100 for non VAI members.

Members who wish to purchase additional tickets for non-members can do so at the full price.

Not yet a member of VAI?

Join VAI today to get your discounted ticket and access to Speed Curating & Specialist Clinics, along will our many Member Benefits!
Membership costs €50 for 12 months. There is also a concession rate of €25 available (students / OAPs /unwaged) and there are options to set up recurring and instalment payments.

⁠Richard Malone reports on their residency experience in the British School at Rome.⁠
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Image: Richard Malone, studio view, British School at Rome, April 2026; photograph by Luana Rigolli, courtesy of the artist and British School at Rome.⁠

Elaine Grainger reflects on her residency at Casa Wabi in Puerto Escondido, Mexico.⁠
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Check it out now by clicking here!

Image: Elaine Grainger, How to Tread Lightly: Leaving Our Mark, 2026, community project at Foundation Casa Wabi, Mexico, April 2026; photograph by Elaine Grainger, courtesy of Foundation Casa Wabi.⁠

Eoghan Ryan reports on his participation in the Dwell Here residency at IMMA.⁠
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Check it out now by clicking here!
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Image: Eoghan Ryan, Circle A, 2024, performance, IMMA Courtyard, 26 July 2025; photograph by Pati Guimarães, courtesy of the artist and IMMA. ⁠
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Anna Macleod discusses her previous residencies at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop.⁠

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Image: Anna Macleod, Uisce Lite / Flora Edinensis event, Physics Garden, Saughton Park, Edinburgh, 14 June 2025; photograph by Sarah Clarkson, courtesy of the artist.⁠

Lynda Laird reports from the former home of artist, writer, and activist, Derek Jarman in Dungeness on the Kent coast.

Read here!

Residency programmes, broadly speaking, can provide artists with the opportunity to live and work outside of their normal environments. Artist residencies typically offer dedicated time and space in which to create and experiment, with an emphasis on research and reflection, solitude and inspiration.

VAN July – August 2026 issue aims to demystify the process of selecting an artist residency. This themed issue contains a range of Residency Reports from artists at different career stages, who have undertaken all kinds of residencies in different parts of the world.

In the Irish context, artists report on recent residencies at Burren College of Art, Cow House Studios, Heinrich Böll Cottage, IMMA, the Tyrone Guthrie Residency, and the UCD College Of Science Artist Residency with Mayo Dark Sky Park. In the UK, there are reports from Hospitalfield, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, and Prospect Cottage – the former home of artist, writer, and activist, Derek Jarman, in Dungeness on the Kent coastline.

For the European section, artists reflect on their residencies in the British School at Rome, Magnetic Residency in Dunkirk, Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris, the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, and the WaterLANDS Artist Residency Programme, an EU-funded initiative that embeds artists at six wetland sites across Europe. Residencies profiled beyond Europe include the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York, Casa Wabi in Mexico, and Hyde Park Arts Center in Chicago.

In addition, this special issue contains several Residency Roundups, providing a non-exhaustive overview of reputable residencies (funded, wherever possible) across Ireland, the UK, Europe, and worldwide. There are also roundups of virtual residencies, profiling noteworthy remote residency programmes that visual artists can undertake from home; prominent residencies for parenting artists around the world that allow resident artists to be accompanied by dependent children and partners; and residencies worldwide with a thematic focus on landscape, ecology, and sustainability.

On The Cover: Elaine Grainger, How To Tread Lightly: Leaving Our Mark, 2026, community project at Foundation Casa Wabi, Mexico, April 2026; photograph by Elaine Grainger, courtesy of Foundation Casa Wabi.

COLUMNS

6          Editorial. Joanne Laws introduces the residency themed issue.

Culture Moves Europe. Lucy Tevlin provides an overview of Culture Moves Europe grants for artists undertaking European residencies.

IRELAND RESIDENCIES

8          Residency Roundup: Ireland. Francesca Saracuta outlines funded artist residencies across Ireland.

10        Shared Conditions. Eoghan Ryan reports on his participation in the Dwell Here residency at IMMA.

11        Elemental Sanctuary. Shane Hynan reflects on his recent residency at the Burren College of Art.

12        A Week in Annaghmakerrig. Paul Bokslag reflects on being awarded an Age & Opportunity Tyrone Guthrie Residency.

13        The Bridge to Achill. Thomas Brezing reports on his experience of the Heinrich Böll Residency.

14        A Cosmic Spectacle. Louise Beer reflects on her experience as UCD College Of Science Artist-in-Residence with Mayo Dark Sky Park.

15        Dedicated Time. Clare Henderson reflects on the unique importance of residencies within her printmaking practice.

UNITED KINGDOM RESIDENCIES

16        Residency Roundup: UK. Laura Harvey Graham provides an overview of funded visual artist residencies across the UK.

18        Sacred Time. Aideen Barryreports from her interdisciplinary residency in Hospitalfield in Arbroath.

19        Uisce / Flora. Anna Macleod discusses her previous residencies at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop.

20        Prospect Cottage. Lynda Laird reports from the former home of Derek Jarman in Kent. 

EUROPEAN RESIDENCIES

22        Residency Roundup: Europe. Tom Lordan provides an overview of funded artist residencies in Europe.

24        Cultural Hub. Shiro Masuyama reflects on his residency at Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris.

25        Ideas of Truth. Richard Malone reports on their residency experience in the British School at Rome.

26        To Only Not Know. Dorothy Hunter reports on the Magnetic Residency Exchange in Dunkirk.

27        Keys to the Castle. Avril Corroon reports on her ongoing residency at the Rijksakademie.

WORLDWIDE RESIDENCIES

28        Residency Roundup: Worldwide. Thomas Pool profiles funded artist residencies around the world.

30        Tropes of Melodrama. Eva Richardson McCrea reflects on her residency at ISCP in New York.

31        How to Tread Lightly. Elaine Grainger reflects on her residency at Casa Wabi in Puerto Escondido, Mexico.

32        Hyde Park Art Center. LéannHerlihy discusses their participation in a transatlantic residency exchange with Hyde Park Arts Center in Chicago.

33        Residency Roundup: Virtual. Joanne Laws profiles some remote residency programmes that visual artists can undertake from home.

PARENTING ARTIST RESIDENCIES

34        Residency Roundup: Parenting Artists. Ella de Búrca outlines some reputable residencies for parenting artists worldwide, both funded and non-funded.

35        Care in Practice. Emma Smith reports on Cow House Studio’s Parenting Artist Residency.

ECOLOGY & SUSTAINABILITY RESIDENCIES

36        Residency Roundup: Ecology. Joanne Laws outlines a selection of funded residencies with a focus on landscape, ecology, and sustainability.

37        WaterLANDS. Christine Mackey reports on her durational residency as part of an EU-funded project.

LAST PAGES

38        Opportunities. Current and forthcoming residencies.