For the months of March, April and May 2026, Hugh Lane Gallery & Basic Talks are delighted to have the Basic Talks programme hosted by the National College of Art & Design. Google map link HERE
Join us for a Basic Talks with artist Chloe McDonagh, who will be in conversation with Basic Space Director Laura Harvey Graham.
“I’m a multidisciplinary artist working across graphic design and fine art. Making has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, it’s something that has stayed with me from childhood into adulthood and continues to be the way I understand myself and the world around me.
My practice spans brand identity, book and web design, illustration, printmaking, and painting. I’m drawn to the space where technical design meets hands-on making, where structure and instinct can exist together. I love the discipline of design just as much as the physicality of working with materials, and my work sits somewhere between the two.
My work has been shown in spaces such as Axis Gallery and Theatre, The Hugh Lane Gallery, The Model Sligo, Misleór, the National Museum of Ireland, and the National Archives. While these opportunities have been hugely important to me, what drives the work itself is something much more personal, my heritage, my experiences, and a deep need to express what can’t always be put into words. I try to leave a piece of myself in everything I make.
Creativity, for me, is the purest form of expression. When language feels limiting, making becomes a way to communicate emotion, memory, and identity honestly and without filters.
Alongside my own practice, I also run workshops that encourage young people to explore creative expression, particularly those who may struggle to verbalise their thoughts or feelings. It’s important to me to create spaces where art becomes a language, a way to be heard without having to explain.
At the heart of my work is passion, care, and connection. I make because I need to, and because I believe creativity has the power to hold stories, create understanding, and bring people closer to themselves and each other.
You can find my work on Instagram at @chloemcd_esign”
Free, book or come on the day subject to availability.
Basic Talks is a series of talks with leading contemporary practitioners. Curated by Basic Space in partnership with Hugh Lane Gallery, BASIC TALKS is a platform for lectures, workshops, presentations, and performances. Speakers include artists, curators, writers, and critics who will generate discourse on producing, framing and exhibiting art. BASIC TALKS is a collaboration between Basic Space and the Hugh Lane Gallery, exploring alternatives in the dissemination of contemporary art and its discourses.
Location:
The National College of Art & Design (NCAD)
100 Thomas St, Usher’s Quay, Dublin 8, D08 K521
