MART Gallery & Studios – Providing Creative Platforms
Join our Newsletter
CIACLA in partnership with MART Gallery & Studios, 18th Street Arts Center, and Angels Gate Cultural Center proudly presents The Irish Contemporaries {V}, a dynamic group visual arts exhibition.
Featured Artists: Deirdre Mulrooney & Gearóid O’Dea, with full line up of artists to be announced soon.
The Irish Contemporaries will take place across two venues in 2026:
18th Street Arts Center | Opening Friday 15th May @1pm
Runs: 15th May – June 6th
Gallery Hours: Monday – Saturday: 12-5pm
Location: 18th Street Arts Center, 1639 18th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404 https://18thstreet.org/
Angels Gate Cultural Center | Opening Saturday 16th May 1pm
Runs: 16th – June 6th
Gallery Hours: Thursday – Saturday: 10am-5pm
Location: Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S Gaffey St, San Pedro, CA 90731 https://angelsgateart.org/
The Irish Contemporaries 5 continues CIACLA’s acclaimed series celebrating the breadth and innovation of contemporary Irish visual art. This fifth edition brings together a diverse range of practices and perspectives, offering audiences in Los Angeles an opportunity to experience the vitality of Ireland’s artistic voice today. Through painting, sculpture, installation, film, and new media, the exhibition reflects the energy and ambition of Irish artists working across disciplines and across the world.
Ireland is undergoing a powerful cultural reawakening, a return to story, language, and landscape. This revival has been deeply shaped by the work and spirit of Manchán Magan, whose voice bridged worlds, reminding us that myth and memory are still alive beneath the surface of everyday life. He invited us to see Ireland’s ancient wisdom not as something closed or exclusive, but as an open, inclusive way of being and a bridge between cultures. In a world that’s increasingly divided, where borders are hardened, people are displaced, and wars are waged, Manchán spoke instead of connection and unity, showing how Ireland’s ancient wisdom can offer compassion, belonging, and understanding across all boundaries.
Irish Contemporaries 5 explores the Irish tradition of storytelling that binds community, identity, and imagination. Artists were encouraged to explore how stories, both ancestral and new, continue to shape our sense of belonging.
Curated by Matthew Nevin & Ciara Scanlan
Presented by CIACLA – Contemporary Irish Arts Center Los Angeles, the exhibition builds on the success of previous editions, reaffirming our commitment to showcasing the best of Irish contemporary culture in an international context.
Supported By:
The Irish Contemporaries {V} is made possible through the generous support of CIACLA, 18th Street Arts Center, Angels Gate Cultural Center, MART Gallery & Studios, Culture Ireland, the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, and the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.
“This multi site exhibition highlights how Irish-connected artists continue to reinvent how we understand story, culture, and visual language, no matter which side of the Atlantic they’re working from.” — Matthew Nevin
