16″x12″; photo-collage and watercolor; 2025. Courtesy of the artist.
COLLAGE ON VIEW
Brian Palm: Transcendence
at Duke Street Gallery in Dublin, Ireland
5 May-13 June 2026
For the past year, Brian Palm has been working with photo collage combined with vibrant watercolor washes, rather than his more familiar combination of collage, oil paint, and varnish.
Focusing on intimate moments captured on quiet streets, this series of artwork depicts playful interactions between friends or family members as they go about their daily lives. Working with photographic imagery from the artist’s substantial archive of black-and-white negatives, Palm has for many years created evocative urban landscapes recalling the sights and sounds of Dublin’s streets from the not-so-distant past. However, when comparing those same streets with today’s city, the difference is astonishing. It is in the deliberate presentation of what could be considered nostalgic views of Dublin that the strength and depth of Brian Palm’s artistic vision is most clearly illuminated.
9″x12″; photo-collage and watercolor; 2026. Courtesy of the artist.
These are not overtly moral or politically motivated works of art, but they provide a very profound social commentary, which has roots deeply embedded in the artist’s early years in Dublin. From that time of great upheaval and significant change in Dublin’s social fabric, Palm’s work has developed, matured, and emerged as a significant and enduring legacy. His work remains popular with a broad spectrum of art collectors, and it continues to find audiences within a wide range of age groups.
“Transcendence” is Brian Palm’s tenth solo exhibition in the Duke Street Gallery, following his recent successful shows “Vernacular” (2024), “Verdant Transparency” (2023), “Cognitive Dissonance” (2022), “In the Neighbourhood” (2020), “On Land and Sea” (2018), “Culture Night Exhibition” (2017), “Myths of the Helga” (2016), “Down Our Way” (2015), and “Changeable Weather” (2014).
(text adapted from material provided by the gallery)
INFORMATION
Duke Street Gallery
17 Duke Street
Dublin 2, D02 W310 Ireland
+353 1 613 9005
Hours:
Wednesday–Saturday, Noon–5PM