Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have shown they see no value in artistic and cultural endeavour through their inaction which has led to the closure of The Complex, according to Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney.
The Complex, the multidisciplinary arts centre in Dublin’s North Inner City, announced its permanent closure last night after the owners failed to reach an agreement about the threatened closure of the facility.
Over 15,000 people signed a petition to save the facility, and Dublin Central TDs Mary Lou McDonald, Marie Sherlock and Gary Gannon all called on the government to intervene and save the facility.
Gibney, the Dublin Rathdown TD said “this is an immeasurable blow for arts and culture in Dublin – the centre’s programme for 2026, which included events, residencies and exhibitions, has now been cancelled.”
The Complex’s CEO, Vanessa Fielding, said that their efforts to save the venue had “been frustrated by an inflexible landlord, focused exclusively on achieving vacant possession, to maximise the redevelopment value of the site”.
Gibney, the Soc Dems’ arts spokesperson, said the government’s handling of this conundrum has shown “their priorities are all wrong.”
“This coalition has shown government after government that it’s more than willing to overspend on basic projects, such as spending over €1.7 million on a bike shed and security hut for Leinster House, yet the Department of Culture showed no willingness to save The Complex – Dublin’s North Inner City has now lost one of its few remaining art spaces,” she remarked.
“For a government which talks endlessly about how intrinsic cultural pursuits are to Irish identity, it’s shown it is unwilling to put its money where its mouth is when the survival of this sector is at risk.”
“This situation calls into question the Minister for Arts & Culture’s dedication to the pursuits he’s supposed to protect and promote – I’m calling on Minister O’Donovan to explain the rationale behind allowing this space to close, and what he plans to do to remedy this loss.”
“My heart goes out to all of the staff, artists and local residents affected. The Complex served Dublin’s North Inner City for 18 years, and its absence will be strongly felt by all those in the community.”
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, who will be People Before Profit’s candidate in the upcoming Dublin Central by-election and previously played a leading role in the successful Save the Cobblestone campaign, said “The Complex has become the latest victim of the attack on Ireland’s cultural spaces.”
“Even more artists are being evicted, studios are disappearing, and the places that make this city creative, vibrant and alive are being pushed out in favour of profit-driven development.
“The Complex and Ormond Art Studios are irreplaceable cultural spaces. They should have been protected, not displaced”.