we make our own histories
Curated by Maolíosa Boyle and Jonathan Cummins, the exhibition is the culmination of artist Anthony Haughey’s socially engaged residency from 2021 – 2024 at the National Museum of Ireland, taking inspiration from the Museum’s collections, as they relate to the Decade of Centenaries.
What does Irish culture and identity look like one hundred years after the formation of the state?
This question is at the heart of we make our own histories on display at the National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks until 30th June 2024 (extended until 31 July 2024). During the summer of 2021, I established an artist’s studio in the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, conceived as a learning lab where dynamic conversations, workshops, and durational art processes resulted in the co-creation of artworks that reflect an exciting time of change in Ireland. The museum’s collections reveal Ireland’s past as a colonised country entangled within the British Empire and its revolutionary struggle for independence. A central proposition during my residency was to consider the National Museum of Ireland as a site of social transformation. Museums are central to nation-building and the formation of cultural identities – how we view ourselves. If this is the case, it is apposite to ask, What does Irish culture and identity look like one hundred years after the formation of the state? And does the museum reflect a culturally diverse society?
People’s Assembly Manifesto For a Future Ireland