Local politicians lament closure of The Complex

Despite pleas from local politicians and a petition with over 15,000 signatures calling for it to be kept open, The Complex in Smithfield has formally closed.

In December, the owners of the facility were informed that they had to vacate the facility by January 15.

The owners failed to reach an agreement with their landlords, forcing the closure.

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.”

Local Labour TD Marie Sherlock said she was “heartbroken” over the closure.

Prior to her election as a TD in 2024, Sherlock held a public meeting at The Complex about saving and securing space for artists in Dublin, with her staff noting that at least 52 arts spaces have closed across Dublin and nationwide in the last 20 years.

The closure of The Complex marks another blow to Dublin’s arts scene, and Sherlock said the government simply “washed their hands” of the issue.

The Dublin Central TD said, “culture can’t compete with capitalism; Dublin is being hollowed out of its artistic and cultural spaces.”

She said, “local authorities must step in to purchase arts spaces, and we need to see a major expansion of the Space to Create scheme for the acquisition of artists’ spaces.”

Social Democrats TD and arts spokesperson Sinéad Gibney said “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 – the North Inner City has now lost one of its few remaining art spaces.

“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,” she said.

People Before Profit’s candidate in the upcoming Dublin Central by-election, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, 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”.