Irish Energy is an exhibition of contemporary Irish artists which has as its departure point the connections of the Germany artist Joseph Beuys to Ireland, an island which he referred to as ‘The Brain of Europe’. The exhibition takes its name from his series of small sculptures from 1974 which comprised Kerrygold butter sandwiched between two Bord na Móna peat briquettes.

Involving both artists based in Ireland and some based in Germany, the exhibition expands upon the topics of landscape, ecology, shamanism, magic and the socio-political agency of the citizen central to Beuys’ practice, which are still vibrant concerns relevant to a younger generation of Irish artists. In the show, some artists investigate the topic of the natural environment, the presence of the human upon and within the landscape, and the legacy of their impacts. Elsewhere Beuys’ interest in transcendental forms of agency and spirituality is continued either through the performative figure of the shaman/folk healer, ritual or socio-political actions. Beuys’ visit to Sandycove’s Forty Foot, a swimming spot cited in James Joyce’s Ulysses, is directly referenced in the exhibition.

By using the framework of Beuys, Irish Energy showcases a selection of Irish artists emerging from a specific artistic polyculture where a synergy lets diverse themes overlap, borrow from and co-exist alongside each other. Participating artists: Myfanwy Frost-jones, Saidhbhín Gibson, Shane Hynan, Sheena Malone, Seoidín O’Sullivan, Laura Skehan, Ciarán Walsh