Ireland at Venice

Through our partnership with Culture Ireland, we support Ireland’s national representation at the International Architecture Exhibition and the International Art Exhibition, the Venice Biennale.

The Venice Biennale provides an important platform for Irish artists, architects and curators to present their work globally and generate opportunities to showcase their work outside of Ireland.

Eva Rothschild’s ‘The Shrinking Universe’ represented Ireland at the 58th Venice Biennale.

International Architecture Exhibition

The International Architecture Exhibition, the Venice Biennale, is the world’s leading architecture event. Along with the International Curated Exhibition, and collateral events, it features more than 50 national exhibitions from around the world.

In 2023, the total number of visitors to the exhibition exceeded 285,000. The biennale offers Irish architects the opportunity to engage with a diverse international audience, stimulate discussion, and influence future trends in architecture. It also offers the participants a unique opportunity to connect with international architects, curators and collaborators.

Following an open call in 2024, Cotter & Naessens Architects were selected as the curators to represent Ireland at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2025.

Learn more about the International Architecture Exhibition

‘In Search of Hy-Brasil’. Installation view. Black material is heaped in a large pile on the floor in an interior space. To the right is a large arch structure and a person looking at the artwork. In the background is a wall covered in maps and geographical images

‘In Search of Hy-Brasil’. Installation view, Pavilion of Ireland, 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. (Photo: Ste Murray)

International Art Exhibition

For over 100 years, the Venice Biennale is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. This important international showcase for contemporary arts attracts over 700,000 visitors, including global curators, gallerists, art critics, and artists. The International Art Exhibition offers a unique opportunity for Ireland to showcase Irish contemporary art on a global stage.

Both partners, Culture Ireland and the Arts Council, consider the Venice Biennale to be an important opportunity for artists’ development and for Irish curators to work in an international context.

In November 2024, Isabel Nolan, with Georgina Jackson and The Douglas Hyde Gallery of Contemporary Art as the curator, was announced as the selected artist to represent Ireland at the 61st Venice Art Biennale in 2026.

Learn more about the International Art Exhibition

(L to R) Artist Isabel Nolan, curator Georgina Jackson, and producer Cian O’Brien at the Douglas Hyde Gallery of Contemporary Art, Dublin, 2024. Photo: Ste Murray.