Solstice director shortlisted for Venice Art Biennale 2022

Belina Quirke, director of Navan's Solstice Arts Centre, has been shortlisted in the selection process for Ireland’s representation at the 2022 Venice Art Biennale.

Catherine Martin, Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, congratulated the successful applicants, saying: "The impressive list of shortlisted parties is an indicator of the strength of Ireland’s visual arts sector and the platform of the Venice Biennale offers a key opportunity to raise the global visibility of our artists. My congratulation to the artists and curators selected, this is a true recognition and validation of the impact of your work to date as well as your vision for the Venice Biennale".

The successful artists and curators, who were selected following an open call by Culture Ireland in partnership with the Arts Council are artist, Elaine Byrne with curator Helen Carey, artist Marianne Keating with curator Miguel Amado, artist Niamh McCann with Peter Carroll, architect and curators Belinda Quirke and Hugh Mulholland, artist Bea McMahon with Matt Packer, curator, artist Ailbhe Ní Bhriain and curators Mary Hickson and Francis McKee and artist Niamh O’Malley and Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, curatorial team.

The Quirke-Mulholland submission is a cross border application between Solstice, the MAC in Belfast, and the artists.

These shortlisted teams will present their detailed proposals to a panel comprising representatives of Culture Ireland, The Arts Council and international experts in Autumn 2020 when final selection for Ireland’s representation will be made. Ireland’s representation at the Venice Biennale is an initiative of Culture Ireland, in partnership with the Arts Council. Exhibiting at the Biennale provides a high profile platform for the international art world to engage with Irish contemporary art practice and to showcase the strength of Irish visual arts and the financial support of €300,000, awarded for the selected project reflects this.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Venice Architecture Biennale (2020) has been postponed to 2021 and the Venice Art Biennale (2021) has been moved to 2022.

Ireland’s last two representations at Venice, 'The Shrinking Universe' by Eva Rothschild (2019) and 'Tremble, Tremble' by Jesse Jones (2017) gained global acclaim and continue to tour internationally, with the support of Culture Ireland.