Our 2026 title “Poetic Action” explores the power of gentle action in nature. It invites us into a quieter conversation with the Earth, one shaped not by urgency or spectacle, but by attentiveness, care, and renewal.

Presented as part of the Bealtaine Living Earth Festival with this year’s theme “Solutions in Nature”. Curated by Mary Doyle Burke, this exhibition gathers Irish sustainable artists whose practices are rooted in reverence for the natural world and its enduring cycles.

Rooted in the Celtic spirit of Bealtaine, this exhibition honours the turning of the seasons, and the rebirth of the land. Drawing from the ancient rhythms of this festival, a time of transition and rebirth, “Poetic Action” explores how small, intentional gestures can hold transformative power. In an era defined by ecological strain and noise, the works in this exhibition offer a counterpoint: a space for stillness, for listening, and for reimagining our relationship with the living systems that sustain us.

Through organic materials, ephemeral forms, and deeply considered processes, these artists do not merely represent nature, they collaborate with it. Earth, fibre, growth, decay, and regeneration become both medium and message. Each piece acts as a subtle intervention, embodying what it means to create in harmony with, rather than in opposition to, the environment.

Here, art becomes a form of “poetic action”: a gentle yet deliberate response to ecological imbalance. It is an invitation to slow down, to notice, and to participate in a more regenerative way of being. Together, these works suggest that meaningful change need not always be loud, it can begin with quiet acts of attention, respect, and care.

LOCATION: Upstairs in Dunnes, Kilkenny, at the An Chèad Tine Art Gallery