Contributor post by Emily Westbrooks of From China Village
Hello, Poppytalk readers! Today I get to share one of my favorite Dublin projects, Pretty Vacant Dublin. Started in 2007, Pretty Vacant is an initiative designed to repurpose vacant buildings (of which we have many, sadly) as temporary exhibition space. With ten exhibitions under their belt, all varying in topic, space and medium, founders Louise Marlborough and Philip Rowley took their latest exhibition to a new level.
Set in a hulking, bright shopping center on Dublin's northside, Pretty Vacant's Virtual Gallery is currently brightening a space that is between tenants. Pretty Vacant worked with Virtual Shopfronts to cover the windows of an empty shop with art from Irish artists. In fact, everything about the gallery is virtual - they made an online call for artists who were interested in showing their work, received the images by email, and Louise curated the show at her computer. The show runs until the end of July.
