Praxis artists' union issues statement on the "closure of vital Dublin art spaces"

Praxis: The Artists’ Union of Ireland have released a statement regarding the "closure of vital Dublin art spaces".

It follows recent announcements of the closure of Ormond Art Studios, a self organised visual art studio, and The Complex, which houses a multi disciplinary gig venue, gallery, theatre and artists studio.

The Complex was handed a notice to quit its premises, giving it until 14 January 2026 to vacate. Ormond Art Studios also announced that it would lose its venue on Ormond Quay after a fifteen-year tenancy.

A petition has been launched to save The Complex, which has reached over 13,000 signatures at the time of writing.

In their statement, Praxis said that the closures will “greatly affect the well being, ability to work and livelihoods of numerous artists and arts workers. It will also increase pressure on the already limited public resources available to independent and unassociated artists. Yet again, our political class is siding with profit over people.

“In April of this year,” the statement continued, “members of Praxis from the Artists Working Space Group published a survey on artists working spaces in Ireland. The survey has highlighted what is unsurprising to anyone who works in the arts sector: there is a scarcity of working space for artists and much of what exists is unaffordable.”

 

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The survey found that over 40% of respondents have considered leaving Ireland to find more affordable working spaces, while less than half of the respondents were currently renting a studio. While reasons for not renting varied, they typically centred on affordability and availability. It also found that a designated working space significantly benefited respondents’ careers and creativity. “Losing some of the few remaining working spaces in Dublin in the current context," the statement added, “is highly detrimental for arts workers.”

“This situation highlights the extreme precarity of arts infrastructure in Dublin and throughout the entire country. The closure of both spaces will mean many artists and arts workers will be without a place to work, entering a rental market that is already in very short supply and extortionately priced.”

The statement also called for “local authorities and state bodies” to “have an active role in protecting existing cultural spaces and fostering new ones. The Complex was the only venue of its size and kind in the city.

“Losing a multidisciplinary arts space of this type has devastating impacts on the development of arts communities, of artists’ practices and on the entire ecosystem surrounding the development of the arts,” it concluded. “Something needs to happen.”

Find the full statement here.