Crawford Art Gallery and F.E. McWilliam Gallery announce an exciting collaboration on a new exhibition of contemporary Irish art.
Constellations: Selected Work from Crawford Art Gallery brings artworks from the Crawford Collection to the F.E. McWilliam Gallery in Northern Ireland. It is an exciting moment for both galleries to collaborate and connect audiences with contemporary Irish art.
Featuring the work of 14 artists based on the island of Ireland, Constellations highlights the depth and richness of Crawford Art Gallery’s contemporary holdings within Ireland’s National Collection. The exhibition brings together work by established artists such as Nick Miller, Amanda Coogan, Katie Holten, Corban Walker, Dragana Jurišić, and Isabel Nolan, Ireland’s representative at the 2026 Venice Biennale, alongside artists whose practices are gaining increased profile and recognition, including Laura Fitzgerald and Niamh Swanton, as well as artists with a Northern Ireland connection, Ronnie Hughes, Jennifer Trouton, and Michael Hanna.
Linked by the artists’ use of bold colour and shared themes of nature, domestic life and identity, the artworks in this exhibition range from film and photography to drawing and sculpture. Tom Climent’s large canvas, Eden, finds echoes in the colours of Declan Byrne’s Encrusted Dog, while the freedom of Jurišić’s underwater photographs complement the wry humour of Coogan, Fitzgerald, Swanton, and Aideen Barry. Together, they reflect a sense of playfulness and imagination while also addressing deeper ideas about freedom, power and the everyday experience.
Several works in the exhibition were acquired by Crawford Art Gallery during the COVID-19 lockdowns as part of the Government of Ireland’s investment in Ireland’s National Collection. Following the success of last year’s Grá at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, with this latest exhibition Crawford Art Gallery continues its programme of touring and sharing while closed for redevelopment.
“Crawford Art Gallery is delighted to strengthen this partnership with the F.E. McWilliam Gallery and to support strong touring and institutional exchange across the island of Ireland,” Crawford Art Gallery Director Mary McCarthy said about the relationship. “Constellations as an exhibition provides a great opportunity for the exhibiting artists to reach new audiences and engage in dialogue within a new context.”
Dr Riann Coulter, Curator of the F.E. McWilliam Gallery said, “Constellations showcases some of the stars of the Irish art world and reflects the quality and diversity of Crawford’s Collection. We are grateful to Crawford Art Gallery for sharing these outstanding works from Ireland’s National Collection and look forward to welcoming visitors to this vibrant and engaging exhibition”.
This exhibition is the latest instalment in an ongoing cross-border relationship between the F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Crawford Art Gallery which began in 2013, when both institutions and the Irish Museum of Modern Art collaborated on the groundbreaking touring exhibition Analysing Cubism.
These shared histories are further strengthened by parallel ambitions, as both Crawford Art Gallery and the F.E. McWilliam Gallery are currently engaged in major redevelopment projects which will see them double in size to engage with new audiences, care for and grow their collections and improve access to art for all.
Constellations: Selected Work from Crawford Art Gallery, opens on the 14 February and runs until the 2 May 2026 at F.E. Mc William Gallery and is supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
The exhibition features contemporary artworks by Aideen Barry, Declan Byrne, Tom Climent, Amanda Coogan, Laura Fitzgerald, Michael Hanna, Katie Holten, Ronnie Hughes, Dragana Jurišić, Nick Miller, Isabel Nolan, Niamh Swanton, Jennifer Trouton, and Corban Walker.