taproot_art auction [ii] - ode to urbanity

april 19, 2019

mart gallery, dublin

in association with notorious street art collective SUBSET, this exhibitions aims to celebrate the groundbreaking advancements in urban art in ireland over the course of the past decade - primarily in the regions of street art and hip-hop. dublin possesses an ‘urban grit’ type quality, with ireland traditionally having ‘depressive’ qualities associated with it - ‘dirty old town’ by the dubliners being a case in point example - only in recent years resembling a manicured city you will find amidst its european counterparts. this ‘urban grit’, however, is being retained through the unapologetic lyrics of irish hip hop artists as well as the un-apologeticness and ‘deviance’ of street artists alike, transforming it into something of artistic wonderment. it is also being retained in other less optimistic ways, through the ongoing homelessness crisis, an issue which persistently and increasingly pervades the nation producing wonderment indeed, on how it is still as desperate as ever. art originating from ireland and irish people is primarily known for its transformative power: long used by irish people as a vehicle to turn a series of unfortunate and dire circumstances into something eternal & positive, through literature, poetry, comedy and so forth. by raising money through urban related art to aid the homelessness crisis, this optimistic transformation is precisely what this show aims to achieve,

[ opening photos ]

[ enquire for available work ]