Substrata is a curated contemporary art exhibition presented as part of The Five Lamps Arts Festival 2026, featuring new works by artists Claire Halpin, Katherine Sankey, Maree Hensey and Sohrab Uduman.
Taking place at The Substation in Dublin Port, the exhibition runs from 11 April to 30 April, inviting visitors to explore ambitious artworks that respond to the architecture, infrastructure and layered histories of Dublin Port.
Each artist has created new work that reflects on the physical space of The Substation and its wider industrial, environmental and social context. Through sculpture, painting, video and installation, Substrata examines themes of migration, labour, trade routes, ecology and memory connected to the port and its surrounding communities.
About the Exhibition
The Substrata exhibition in Dublin brings together four contemporary artists whose work responds directly to the unique architecture and atmosphere of The Substation.
By engaging with the site’s industrial structure and historical significance, the exhibition explores how places hold layers of meaning shaped by human activity, infrastructure and environmental change.
Visitors can experience a diverse range of artistic approaches that reflect on Dublin Port as a site of movement, connection and transformation.
Featured Artists
Claire Halpin
Claire Halpin’s installation Outpost uses tea crates as the physical substrate for a series of paintings that respond to the social history of the port and docks. Referencing transit, migration, labour and trade routes, the crates are opened, deconstructed and unfolded to stand freely within the space as sculptural outposts.
Katherine Sankey
Katherine Sankey’s work considers the port as a microcosm of human presence, infrastructure and ecological systems. Her installation EarthLab, nearly four metres high, connects plumbing with living trees through two water-siphoning
systems in a sculptural exploration of colonisation, agency and resistance.
Maree Hensey
Maree Hensey’s work focuses on preserving and layering meaning through drawing, print and video. Her installation explores how familiar environments can become uncertain and unpredictable over time.
For this exhibition, she collaborates with UK composer Sohrab Uduman on a film presented as a video projection with sound. The work engages with the Substation’s architecture, reflective glass floor and underground layers to create a multi-sensory experience.
Event Details
Dates: 11th – 30th April
Opening Hours: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Venue: The Substation, Alexandra Road, North Wall, Dublin 1
Admission: Free entry
Visit the Substrata Exhibition
The Substrata exhibition at Dublin Port offers a unique opportunity to experience contemporary art responding to one of the city’s most historically significant industrial sites.
Through installation, sculpture, painting and video, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the complex relationships between architecture, environment, infrastructure and human history.
