40/40/40: An Exhibition of Contemporary Art Celebrating Ireland’s 40 years in the European Union
40/40/40 was an exhibition of contemporary art works from the Irish State Art Collection organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Office of Public Works (OPW) of Ireland.
Experiencing Irish culture is often the most effective way for people worldwide to learn about and appreciate the creativity and talent of Ireland’s people.
- Department of Foreign Affairs
During Ireland’s EU President in 2013, an initiative to exhibit Irish artists abroad took place - the result was 40/40/40. The works created for the exhibition were by 40 artists under the age of forty, who are Irish or have chosen to base themselves in Ireland. The exhibition was in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Ireland as a Member State of the EU.
The exhibition included photography, drawing, sculpture and painting to represent the diversity of current visual art practices and was drawn from the State Art Collection. The exhibition visited:
- The Conde Duque Cultural Centre in Madrid
- The Warsaw University Library
- The Italian Foreign Ministry – the Farnesina Palace – in Rome
The State Art Collection, which is managed by the OPW, contains over 15,000 art works and decorative objects. These works are located in hundreds of public buildings throughout Ireland.
Video Showcase
Engaged by OPW’s State Art Department, Dara Lynne along with a member of the OPW State Art Department, Colin Butler undertook the development and production of the exhibition catalogue. This required collating and editing forty biographies from each of the artist’s; organising high-resolution images of each of the artworks; managing translations of all text into Polish, Spanish and Italian; and overseeing all graphic and print elements of the publication.
This was Dara Lynne’s first major project with the OPW and she had the great honour to travel across Europe to curate the exhibition. Liaising with the Irish Embassies in each destination, the exhibition travelled to Madrid, Warsaw and finally Rome lasting five months. On returning to Dublin, Dara Lynne was convinced the exhibition should be seen in Dublin and was again engaged to design and curate the exhibition fot one of the OPW’s Historic Properties, Rathfarnham Castle.
Project Details:
Client: Office of Public Works
Date: September 2012 to September 2013
Location: Dublin, Madrid, Rome, Warsaw
Collaborated with:
Denis Mortell Photography, Red Dog, staff of the State Art Department,OPW; Maurice Ward Art Handlers.
- Copywriting and Editing
- Exhibition Curation
- Project management