PhotoIreland is pleased to announce the main elements of the Programme 2026 for the International Centre for the Image.

The year 2025 marked a defining chapter for photography in Ireland with the launch of the International Centre for the Image, PhotoIreland’s new landmark, a brand-new cultural space for Dublin, and Ireland’s largest space dedicated to Photography. Conceptually and architecturally, the museum is arranged around four interlocking core areas of arts practice: Research (Art Library and Archive), Production (Atelier and Artist Studios), Exhibition, and Storage and Conservation.

The Centre launched last summer with the ambitious first exhibition entitled Foreword, which featured works, many never seen in Ireland before, by 17 diverse contemporary artists. The show explored the curatorial issues the museum is dedicated to addressing. It was followed by other Irish premieres: Solastalgia by acclaimed Irish artist David Farrell and Journey to the Center by internationally renowned photographer Cristina De Middel.

In 2026, PhotoIreland presents a stimulating selection of practices at the International Centre for the Image, celebrating the work of contemporary artists through four core exhibitions.

The year starts with the premiere of AS IF, a new, extensive interdisciplinary work by internationally acclaimed photographer Eamonn Doyle, artist-designer Niall Sweeney, and composer David Donohoe. The resulting large-scale installation will occupy the museum galleries, featuring hundreds of previously unseen works and setting the tone for a formidable year at the Centre.

New Irish Works returns in its 5th edition to present the latest projects of 10 selected artists: Austin Hearne, Billy Kenrick, Ciara Richardson, Debbie Castro, Dorje De Burgh, Emily O’Connell, Garry Loughlin, Kate Nolan, Mandy O’Neill, and Miriam O’Connor. New Irish Works is PhotoIreland’s talent programme, providing a refreshing snapshot of contemporary photographic practices in Ireland.

In a double premiere, Rhiannon Adam and Lewis Bush, representing two very different and exciting practices, converse in parallel exhibitions about the moral dilemmas of space exploration and scientific progress. This is the first time both artists have exhibited in Ireland.

We take this opportunity to introduce these four exhibitions.

AS IF

Eamonn Doyle, Niall Sweeney, and David Donohoe

PhotoIreland presents the premiere of AS IF, a new, extensive interdisciplinary work by internationally acclaimed photographer Eamonn Doyle, artist-designer Niall Sweeney, and composer David Donohoe.

Eamonn Doyle’s practice has evolved rapidly over the last decade, shifting from an acclaimed street photography approach to intricate interdisciplinary and collaborative projects, frequently working with Niall Sweeney and David Donohoe. Their latest project, AS IF, presents an ambitious body of work that builds into a visceral and psychological articulation of the physical world and the psyche. It comprises silver gelatin prints, filmworks, montages, sound, music, painting, drawing and text, and is the first solo exhibition at the International Centre for the Image.

PhotoIreland has supported Eamonn Doyle over the years, in amongst other ways, having launched almost all of his publications at The Library Project, from his first photobook ‘i‘ (2014), followed by ON (2015), End (2016), K (2018), as well as an eponymous book Eamonn Doyle published by Fundación MAPFRE and Editorial RM (2019), and most recently TWO (2022). Through projects such as the postcard collection ‘100 Views of Contemporary Ireland’ and the annual HALFTONE Print Fair, we showcased his latest artworks and have presented his published work internationally in key fairs and exhibitions such as Photobook Phenomenon (CCCB, Barcelona, 2017), Unseen Fair (Amsterdam, 2018), and On the Irish Photobook (Wellington, 2024). In 2022, PhotoIreland Festival’s Opening The Gates presented the most comprehensive overview of the History and Practice of Photography in Ireland to date, including Eamonn’s ambitious video work installation Made in Dublin.

It is with great pleasure that, in 2026, we present his latest body of work, developed with Niall Sweeney and David Donohoe, at the recently launched International Centre for the Image.

New Irish Works

Austin Hearne, Billy Kenrick, Ciara Richardson, Debbie Castro, Dorje De Burgh, Emily O’Connell, Garry Loughlin, Kate Nolan, Mandy O’Neill, Miriam O’Connor

PhotoIreland presents the 5th edition of New Irish Works in 2026, a triennial programme of activities launched in 2013 to support Irish photographers, bringing new works by 10 selected artists to local and international audiences.

Under the name New Irish Works, PhotoIreland presents at the International Centre for the Image an exhibition of new works, many of which are being exhibited for the first time, by 10 outstanding artists: Austin Hearne, Billy Kenrick, Ciara Richardson, Debbie Castro, Dorje De Burgh, Emily O’Connell, Garry Loughlin, Kate Nolan, Mandy O’Neill, and Miriam O’Connor.

Launched in 2013, New Irish Works is a triennial project by PhotoIreland that represents and promotes the growing diversity of contemporary photographic practices in Ireland. It aims to enrich the Irish ecosystem with much-needed new voices and curatorial approaches, facilitate much-deserved opportunities, and invigorate the Irish photography scene.

New Irish Works is a unique artist support programme for Irish and Ireland-based artists at any stage of their careers, comprising public-facing activities such as the New Irish Works exhibition, as well as a growing range of behind-the-scenes professional development opportunities tailored to lens-based practitioners. Artists are selected by a jury composed of national and international experts representing a diversity of art fields and specialisations, and they benefit from the programme over the 3-year duration.

Rhi-Entry

Rhiannon Adam

PhotoIreland presents the premiere of Rhi-Entry by Irish artist Rhiannon Adam, and her first exhibition in Ireland.

In 2021, Irish artist Rhiannon Adam was selected for the dearMoon mission, the first civilian spaceflight to deep space. Adam was to become the first out queer woman to venture beyond the Kármán line, the edge of space. In 2024, it was abruptly cancelled by its billionaire funder. 

The work presented here blurs fact and fiction through images, archive, and ephemera, reflecting on Adam’s psychological recalibration and her struggle to return to a “normal” life. It is often cited that reentry (or “Rhi-entry”) is the most dangerous part of spaceflight, and for Adam, this rings true, despite never having left our planet. This presentation stands as a shrine to lost dreams and an urgent call for alternative voices in the space industry.

The solo exhibition is presented alongside Lewis Bush’s An Infinitely Dark Legacy at the International Centre for the Image, Dublin.

An Infinitely Dark Legacy

Lewis Bush

PhotoIreland presents the Irish premiere of An Infinitely Dark Legacy by artist Lewis Bush, and his first exhibition in Ireland.

The exhibition An Infinitely Dark Legacy is based on Lewis Bush’s photographic project and book Depravity’s Rainbow (2018-2023), which examines the dark origins of modern rocketry during the Second World War and Holocaust, and charts the ways that this history continued to influence Cold War era space programs in the United States, projects on which much present day space exploration is in turn founded. Through this, it examines the moral vacuum at the heart of contemporary space travel.

Bush’s work critically examines the links between technological power, state interests, and ethical concerns, reflecting his long-term focus on revealing hidden dimensions of institutional and technological influence. The project centres on Wernher von Braun, a German-American rocket scientist involved in Nazi missile development using slave labour, yet later advocating for space exploration and contributing to the Apollo moon landing. Bush questions the moral implications of a scientific field rooted in such dark beginnings, emphasising that space science’s moral direction depends entirely on human choices. The exhibition challenges viewers to consider the ethical consequences of scientific progress built on morally questionable foundations.

Coming also in 2026

The 2026 programme at the International Centre for the Image includes the following exhibitions and events:

Five Lamps Arts Festival

In partnership with Five Lamps Arts Festival, Fire Station Artists’ Studios, and the newly launched DUBH Film Lab, the International Centre for the Image presents an exhibition and screening programme featuring artists working on topics of ecology and eco-critical approaches to image-making. The programme will comprise an installation of Buttercup by Irish artist Sarah Browne, an exhibition considering community gardens as cultural spaces in collaboration with the Mud Island Community Garden, and a screening event of international and Irish filmmakers. The exhibition will run from 13 to 19 April. (Image: Still from Buttercup by Sarah Browne.)

Female in Focus

Now in its sixth edition, Female in Focus is a celebration of the remarkable talent and creativity of women photographers from around the globe, initiated and run by 1854 Media and the British Journal of Photography, in collaboration with PhotoIreland for 2026. The exhibition will run from 10 September to 25 October. (Image: Caitlin Chescoe work as part of Female in Focus at 10 14 Gallery, London.)

Tsundoku Art Book Fair

Running 17-19 April 2026, Tsundoku Art Book Fair returns, featuring its characteristic broad range of active publishers, artists and collectives, small presses, and institutions. The Fair is accompanied by a programme of talks and events that highlight the publishing practices of interdisciplinary artists.

HALFTONE Print Fair

HALFTONE is an initiative by PhotoIreland, hosted every November since 2015 at The Library Project. In this 12th edition, the fair will expand across two venues, now including the International Centre for the Image. HALFTONE brings together a large selection of works by established and emerging artists, showcasing Ireland’s exciting art scene. Visitors can enjoy a great selection of artworks from many disciplines and practices, including etchings, intaglios, reliefs, screenprints, monotypes, risographs, photographs and more.

These and much more in 2026

Enjoy these and much more at the International Centre for the Image in 2026. Watch out for events involving the exhibiting artists, as well as the four artists awarded a studio space for 2026 (Aoife Herrity, István László, Róisín White, and Vera Ryklova), and the two recipients of the Library Fellowship 2026 (Clodagh Assata Boyce and Jennifer Mehigan); if you are into photobooks and art books, keep an eye on book launches and talks at the Library and regarding the PhotoIreland Collection; participate in forthcoming open calls, such as the TLP Editions to publish your work; and much more.

Stay informed as news are released: Subscribe to the newsletter!