Órla Kelly
Apr — May 2026
01 April - 16 May 2026
Creative Development of The Toddler Take Over
Now in its 11th Year
Creative Development of The Toddler Take Over
Now in its 11th Year
Draíocht welcomed Orla Whelan to the studio residency for six months from January 2008.
Working in oil on canvas Orla creates gentle and elusive images drawn from a range of sources of personal significance. Redundant memorials, religious statues, forgotten monuments, or cosmic elements such as the moon, clouds, and stars appear pared down in a barely visible manner.
Orla spent her time at Draíocht expanding the scale of her work in preparation for a number of projects, including a group show at the Lab, Dublin City Council’s new space for contemporary art in the city centre.
Born in Dublin 1975, Orla Whelan is an Irish artist who lives and works in Dublin. Exhibitions include There, Not There at Crawford Art Gallery (2008) and Trapezium at the LAB (2008). Previous solo exhibitions include We live to see each other at thisisnotashop (2007), Outside at The Return, Goethe Instituit (2007), Overtime at Archeus Fine Art London (2002) and New Work at Christopher Hull Gallery London (1997).
She holds BA Fine Art from NCAD, MA European Fine Art from Winchester School of Art, Barcelona and an MA in Visual Arts Practices from IADT.
