Hoaretraits Ep. 2: Zeitgeist Irland 24 artist Naoise Dolan

Hoaretraits is a new series by photographer and podcaster Neil Hoare, that presents contemporary Irish artists that are part of Zeitgeist Irland 24 – the year’s cultural programme of contemporary arts from Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland in Germany. Conceived of by Hoare as ‘audio portraits’, the podcasts explore themes of creativity, imagination and craft in conversation a diverse range of Irish artists living in both Ireland and Germany.

For Episode 2, Neil Hoare talks with Naoise Dolan. Dublin born author Naoise Dolan has published two novels, the Sunday Times bestseller Exciting Times and her latest, The Happy Couple. Now residing in Berlin, Dolan’s work is known for its wit, humour, and thoughtful exploration of class and queerness. Alongside her fiction, Dolan also writes essays and reviews for publications like The Guardian and Vogue.  Dolan has been shortlisted and longlisted for several awards, including the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Dylan Thomas Prize. A German translation of The Happy Couple (,Das glückliche Paar’) was released this year. 

Podcaster Neil Hoare is a multidisciplinary Irish artist living in Berlin with his dog Púca. His most recent photographic work ‘A Heimat away from Home’ is a series of portraits commissioned by the Embassy of Ireland in Germany documenting the Irish who made Germany their home since Ireland joined the EU 50 years ago. The experience of photographing so many people across Germany and hearing their stories led directly to the creation of Hoaretraits.