Overview

Shane Cullen is an Irish artist who lives and works in Co. Sligo. He is a native of Longford and he has also lived in the Liberties, in the heart of old Dublin. At present his home and studio are located in Kilmactranny, North Sligo, a small townland rich in legend and history and associated with the Tuatha de Danaan and Douglas Hyde, first President of Ireland and founder of the Gaelic League.

His work is characterised by a strong interest in politics, history and heritage. The representation of text and language has been consistent in his artwork to date. While some of his best known work is of a monumental scale (Fragmens sur Les Institutions IV, 1992-1996) and the Agreement (1998-2002). He has also consistently produced smaller drawings, paintings and sculptures where he has looked at the potential of language to tap into an ancient consciousness and connection with our past.

Shane Cullen’s work and projects have earned him numerous accolades and awards over the years: In 1996 he represented Ireland at the world’s most prestigious art fair, the Venice Biennale. His historic and controversial work Fragmens sur les Institutions Republicaines Francaises is in the Collection of the Irish Museum of Modern art (IMMA). His sculptural reliefs celebrating Brian Merriman’s Midnight Court/Cuirt an Mheán Oíche are owned by the OPW and displayed in Áras an Uachtaráin, the home of the President of Ireland. In Moore street in Dublin Shane’s much loved, wall mounted commemorative plaque reminds passers-by of the heroic role played by the O’ Rahilly in the 1916 rebellion, encapsulating in bronze the last words written by the hero to his wife as he lay wounded in a doorway before his death.