5 must-see Dublin art galleries in Dublin

Dublin may not have the money and pulling power of New York, Paris or London but there are still some intimate and beautifully curated contemporary art galleries worth seeking out. The exhibitions calendar of Kerlin is very rich and culturally diverse, featuring the abstract, the colourful, the beautiful, the bold and the bizarre.

Much like the Kerlin Gallery, the Molesworth Gallery is a very exciting space. It is constantly challenging visitors to rethink how they look at and interact with art, as past exhibitions by Michael Beirne, Martin Redmond and Helen Blake have demonstrated. There are eight solo and two curated group exhibitions here annually.

The Douglas Hyde gallery was named after the first president of Ireland and usually hosts two artists at any one time; the bigger name in the large open Gallery 1 and another smaller exhibit in Gallery 2 (outsider art, photography, textiles). There’s also a number of publications on sale.

Featuring installations and performance art as well as sculpture and video, the Temple Bar Gallery works hand in hand with artists studios. It’s a really interesting and engaging concept and it puts you right into the heart of the artist’s community here in Dublin. Past exhibitions included Declan Clarke, Amie Siegel and Barbara Knezevic.

Founded in 1990, Gormleys specialises in a mix of Irish and international art. They’ve showcased a number of local artists through collective exhibitions as well as promoting the likes of Haring, Banksy, Hirst and Hockney. It’s a small but endlessly fascinating gallery, with a wonderful sculpture garden.