126 Artist-run Gallery is an

artist-run space An artist-run space or artist-run centre (Canada) is a gallery or other facility operated or directed by artists, frequently circumventing the structures of public art centers, museums, or commercial galleries and allowing for a more experimental ...

located in Galway City,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It was founded in 2005 and "has built an international reputation for ambitious programming."

History

126 was founded in 2005 by artists Austin Ivers and Ben Geoghegan in the living room of their home in Galway. The gallery was named after the number of the house. The two aimed to create more exhibition opportunities in the city, and to highlight artists who had a connection to Galway. After 2 years, they curated a large "quality" survey show of contemporary Irish art in the Galway Art Centre in the autumn of 2006. After, in late 2006, the gallery moved to a

white cube White Cube is a contemporary art gallery founded by Jay Jopling in London in 1993. The gallery has two branches in London: White Cube Mason's Yard in central London and White Cube Bermondsey in South East London; White Cube Hong Kong, in Centra ...

space in an industrial estate outside of Galway City showing the work of Benjamin de Burca for the Tulca Festival of Visual Arts. In January 2007, it was re-constituted directly on the ethos of

Catalyst Arts Catalyst Arts a non-profit artist-run space based in Belfast city centre. History Catalyst Arts was formed in 1993 in response to what was seen as a cultural vacuum. In accordance with its constitution it is run by unpaid volunteers, and seeks t ...

and the

Transmission Gallery Transmission Gallery is an artist-run space in Glasgow. It was established in 1983 by graduates of Glasgow School of Art. It primarily shows the work of young early career artists and is run by a changing voluntary committee of six people. Among ...

democratic, artist-run model – which have their origins in the Scottish New 57 Gallery. This included a membership and annual members show, a non-commercial orientation, a voluntary board, 2-year term limits on board members, and a requirement that board members not show their own work. "The new gallery aims to provide a venue for younger, emerging artists, thus fulfilling an obvious need" and was considered "tremendously innovative" by

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

art critic Aidan Dunne. "126 is the radical departure from galleries, museums, kunsthalles, and art centres. This is a much more rarified offshoot of the world of Artist-run projects. It is derived from the model that came out of Edinburgh’s 57 Gallery" In 2009, with its future in doubt, the gallery moved to Galway City centre near the docks. Since, the gallery has experienced several struggles for survival in its bids for consistent funding from both

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

and the Arts Council of Ireland. It has moved 2 additional times, for a total of 5 locations in 15 years. Its most recent location also rents artist studio spaces. 126 has worked regularly with the Galway International Arts Festival, Tulca, and the

Burren College of Art Burren College of Art is an Irish non-profit independent art college specialising in undergraduate and graduate Fine Art education, located in Ballyvaughan, County Clare, Ireland. The Master of Fine Art programme is accredited by the University ...

. As well as with the

Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the RIA, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became in ...

, ARTFarm, and

National Women's Council of Ireland The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) is a representative organisation for women and women's groups in Ireland. It was originally known as the Council for the Status of Women. Policies The mission of the NWCI is to achieve women's equa ...

. It has come to be seen as a progressive example of an artist led project, while simultaneously providing important training for its voluntary board. 126 has shown many significant artists, organisations and presentations which is impressive for a small gallery in the west of Ireland. Some of those include:

Aideen Barry Aideen Barry is a contemporary visual artist from Cork, Ireland. Early life and education Barry was born in Cork in 1979. She studied at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology and Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. Work B ...

Vivienne Dick Vivienne Dick (born 1950) is an Irish feminist experimental and documentary filmmaker. Her early films helped define the No Wave scene. According to ''The Irish Times'', Dick is "one of the most important film-makers Ireland has produced". ...

Hank Willis Thomas Hank Willis Thomas (born 1976 in Plainfield, New Jersey; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) is an American conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to identity, history, and popular culture. Early life and education Hank Willis Th ...

Rainer Ganahl Rainer Ganahl (born 18 October 1961 in Bludenz) is an Austrian-American conceptual artist who lives and works in New York. His work has been widely exhibited, including the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria; The Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, ...

, Niall De Buitlear,

Jim Ricks Jim Ricks is an American and Irish conceptual artist, writer, and curator. He has exhibited throughout Ireland and internationally, including a number of public art projects. Early life and education Ricks was born in San Francisco, California ...

Kelly Richardson Kelly Richardson (born 1972) is a Canadian artist working with digital technologies to create hyper-real landscapes. Early life and education Richardson was born August 2, 1972, in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. From 1994 to 1997, she studied at t ...

, Samara Halperin,

Stephanie Syjuco Stephanie Syjuco (born 1974, in Manila, Philippines), is a Filipino-American conceptual artist and educator. She currently lives and works in San Francisco Career Syjuco's artwork explores the friction between the authentic and the counterfei ...

Ceara Conway Ceara Conway (born 1977) is an independent Irish contemporary visual artist and vocalist from the Connemara Gaeltacht region in County Galway, in the west of Ireland. Biography Conway has a BA in Glass and Architectural Glass from Edinburgh Co ...

Diana Copperwhite Diana Copperwhite (born 1969) is an Irish painter. She is a member of Aosdána, an elite Irish association of artists. Early life Copperwhite was born in Limerick in 1969. She grew up in Patrickswell. Her father, Patrick Copperwhite, was a scie ...

Sylvère Lotringer Sylvère Lotringer (15 October 1938 – 8 November 2021) was a French-born Literary critics, literary critic and cultural theorist. Initially based in New York City, he later lived in Los Angeles and Baja California, Mexico.Hultkrans, Andrew"Boo ...

Ormston House Ormston House is a contemporary art gallery and cultural resource centre, in Limerick, Ireland. Background It was opened in 2011 at 9-10 Patrick Street, Limerick. It was founded after art students occupied the ground floor of the 19th-century ...

, and

Bibliography

* Ricks, Jim (Editor), ''Artist-run democracy: sustaining a model, 15 years of 126 gallery'', Eindhoven: Onomatopee, 2022. ISBN 9789493148734 * Laws, Joanne, ''Footfall: Articulating the Value of Artist Led Organisations in Ireland'', Galway: 126 Artist-Run Gallery, 2015.

References

External links

Official site
{{Museums and Galleries in Ireland Art museums and galleries in the Republic of Ireland Contemporary art galleries in Ireland Arts organizations established in 2005