126 Artist-Run Gallery

126 Artist-Run Gallery Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/126gallery.studios/ Established in 2005, 126 is an artist led organisation integral to the visual arts culture in Galway.

126 is a voluntary, not for profit artist-run gallery based in Galway City, in the west of Ireland, founded in 2005. 126 is proudly funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and Galway City Council. Run voluntarily by a board of professional artists, 126 curates and programmes an arts space including a contemporary exhibition programme, talks & workshops, residencies and research projects. Its focus i

s to support emerging contemporary practices & partnerships, by creating exhibition, commission & development opportunities.

126 was founded on a democratic structure, in which power flows from the membership to the Board of Directors. The Board promotes the ideology of the membership, as laid out in the organisation’s aims, through the activities of 126. The Board directly represents the membership and it is on the basis of this relationship that the projected success and longevity of 126 is based. Membership provides a platform to individuals to connect with a larger network of professional artists. There are currently 170+ members. Opportunities include participation in annual members shows, artist talks, events and national and international residencies. By paying an annual subscription fee of €10 (students/concession) and €20 (waged) you are supporting the core funding of a vital visual arts organisation in Ireland.

Almost finished with install for 'saccades' so we thought we would give you a sneak peak 👀 Make sure to drop by the open...
18/08/2026

Almost finished with install for 'saccades' so we thought we would give you a sneak peak 👀 Make sure to drop by the opening reception this Friday 21st at 6pm to see the full thing.

'saccades' by Alaz Okudan open daily 21 Aug - 6 Sept 2026 from 12-6pm.

Presented in collaboration with Artspace Studios. Supported by Arts Council of Ireland and Galway City Council.

Curated by Hannah Daly.

Artspace Studios

Hannah Daly
Galway City Council
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

✨ STUDIO AVAILABLE ✨ 126 Artist-Run Gallery have a space from the beginning of September. The studio measures 4.7m x 1....
18/08/2026

✨ STUDIO AVAILABLE ✨

126 Artist-Run Gallery have a space from the beginning of September. The studio measures 4.7m x 1.8m and is rented on a month by month contract at 100 euro per month.

To apply for the studio, please email [email protected], subject line “Studio Application”, with a short statement of intent (describe the work you do and how you intend to use the studio), 2 or 3 images of your work and a link to social media/website.

We would like to arrange viewings as soon as possible so please submit your application before the 28th of August.

126 Artist-Run Gallery and Studios is pleased to announce an open call for emerging visual artists across all mediums, f...
14/08/2026

126 Artist-Run Gallery and Studios is pleased to announce an open call for emerging visual artists across all mediums, for an upcoming group exhibition “Herd”. This exhibition is open to artists who have graduated with a visual arts degree or have otherwise began their practice within the last three years.

“Herd” explores the current climate of individualism in an increasingly digitised society. It calls into question not only the fading distinction between what we consume from the online sphere and what we experience in the real world, but also the effect of that vanishing line on how we view community, empathy, and togetherness.

This open call invites artists to ask “what does it mean to need?”
As the boundaries in our current world become increasingly uncertain, the ones that border the digital sphere are harder to discern than ever before.
Optimisation, convenience, and the prioritisation of individualistic pursuits exist in the same time in which collectivism and empathy are our most needed assets.
How can we experience solidarity in an age that promotes the solitary? What does it mean to need things and to need each other, to desire, to have hope, to have humanity?

“Herd” will take place from the 9th to the 25th of October 2026.

Visual artists working across all mediums are now invited to submit work through the Google Form linked in our bio.
The deadline for applications is the 6th of September 2026 at 11pm.

126 Artist - Run Gallery & Studios proudly presents saccades, a solo exhibition of work by Alaz Okudan, in collaboration...
01/08/2026

126 Artist - Run Gallery & Studios proudly presents saccades, a solo exhibition of work by Alaz Okudan, in collaboration with Artspace Studios, Galway.

This exhibition presents a body of work which challenges human vision through photographs, oscillating between the incidental and deliberate. Saccadic eye movement is a rapid, unconscious movement of the eyes from one fixation point to another. These take place approximately three times per second and reflect the brain’s search for the data it needs for current purposes. Taking the phenomenon as its conceptual foundation, the work speculates how photography, in both its photochemical and digital forms, mirrors and contrasts our neurological apparatus of seeing. The collection of images plays with scale and temporality, moving between analogue and digital registers of making and looking. It is an attempt to think about what the eyes see, and fail to see, during saccadic movements, and what eventually is registered in memory. Through the two processes, saccades investigates photography’s dual capacity: to capture what escapes the eye’s restless scanning, and to make connections between seemingly
unrelated and disconnected moments.

Curated by Hannah Daly

Exhibition Launch: Friday 21st August at 6pm
Runs: August 21st - September 6th
Open Daily 12pm - 6pm


Hannah Daly
Artspace Studios
Galway City Council
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

Sin é folks! What an amazing two weeks it has been. Bringing an exhibition like this together is a collective effort so ...
27/07/2026

Sin é folks! What an amazing two weeks it has been. Bringing an exhibition like this together is a collective effort so many thanks are in order.

To Galway International Arts Festival, Arts Council of Ireland, Galway City Council, and Ealaín na Gaeltachta for their continued support.

Thanks to Conor Burke for construction of the screens, to Sara K Dunne for the design of the accompanying booklet and for contributing writers Day Magee and Mark O'Gorman.

To the 126 Gallery Interns for their support in installation.

Finally, a big thank you to artist Tadhg Ó Cuirrín for creating such an amazing work to bring to the gallery space.

'Brass Waterbed' curated by Jamie Bigley & Emily Lohan.

Galway International Arts Festival
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon
Galway City Council
Ealaín na Gaeltachta

Sara K Dunn
Day Magee

Tadhg Ó Cuirrín

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our artist in conversation event w/ Tadhg Ó Cuirrín & Olan Monk as part of Brass Wa...
23/07/2026

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our artist in conversation event w/ Tadhg Ó Cuirrín & Olan Monk as part of Brass Waterbed.

From the origin of the name, to the fragmenting, re-production, and potential failures of memory, to the question of self in the work, there was a lot to be gleamed.

Big thanks to both Tadhg Ó Cuirrín and for joining us and providing such great conversation.

Brass Waterbed is presented as part of Galway International Arts Festival 2026 Galway International Arts Festival.

Supported by The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon , Galway City Council , and Ealaín na Gaeltachta.

📸: Cian Handschuh

Thank you so much everyone who attending the opening of ‘Brass Waterbed’ by Tadhg Ó Cuirrín. The show runs for the durat...
16/07/2026

Thank you so much everyone who attending the opening of ‘Brass Waterbed’ by Tadhg Ó Cuirrín. The show runs for the duration of the Galway International Arts Festival until the 26th of July. 🖤

See our earlier post for details on an artists talk with Tadhg Ó Cuirrín and Olan Monk.

Photos by emma zukovic

Tadhg Ó Cuirrín
Galway International Arts Festival
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon
Galway City Arts Office

Artist Tadhg Ó Cuirrín and musician Olan Monk will be in conversation surrounding the exhibition Brass Waterbed by Tadhg...
16/07/2026

Artist Tadhg Ó Cuirrín and musician Olan Monk will be in conversation surrounding the exhibition Brass Waterbed by Tadhg Ó Cuirrín. Join us in the gallery on Saturday the 18th from 2 - 3pm. Moderated by curator Jamie Bigley.
Tadhg Ó Cuirrín
making
Galway International Arts Festival
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon
Galway City Arts Office

Join us for the launch of Brass Waterbed by Tadhg Ó Cuirrín tomorrow at 5pm, see you there! 🥂☀️Galway International Arts...
11/07/2026

Join us for the launch of Brass Waterbed by Tadhg Ó Cuirrín tomorrow at 5pm, see you there! 🥂☀️
Galway International Arts Festival

Address

126 Artist-Run Gallery, 15 Saint Bridget's Place
Galway
H91NN29

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 6pm
Friday 12pm - 6pm
Saturday 12pm - 6pm
Sunday 12pm - 6pm

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