On Saturday, 19 April 2025, Emporium: Explore Where Art Meets a City Street transformed Parnell Street East, Dublin into a vibrant outdoor gallery and multicultural walking tour.
Curated by Laragh Pittman, this unique event brought together members of the Art Nomads collective alongside invited artists including Roxana Manouchehri, Hina Khan, Leia Mocan, Amna Walayat, Ala Buisir, Rajinder Singh, Joe Odiboh, Nora Garvie, Tomasz Madajczak, Tuqa Al Sarraj, Gráinnemir, and Muhammad Achour.
Despite the rainy day, the walking tours were fully attended, with enthusiastic participants joining curator Laragh Pittman, dancer Silver Kezir, and activist Tian Yu Lloyd on guided visits to local businesses. These included Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, and Nigerian restaurants, Brazilian
and Nigerian hair salons, Chinese and Pakistani supermarkets, an Irish chemist, and a contemporary bar, all of which hosted visual installations, performances, and storytelling.
Due to the weather, artist Hina Khan presented her live painting inside the James Joyce Centre. Throughout the tour, visitors not only experienced a rich mix of cultures, food, and sensory engagement, but also engaged deeply with themes of war, displacement, resilience, and urban transformation. The group also paused to reflect at the memorial marking the site of the 1974 car bombing, bringing a powerful historical layer to the experience.
Emporium celebrated the cultural diversity and evolving identity of Dublin’s unofficial Chinatown, making space for connection between local businesses, international art, and public dialogue.
