Smashing Times has launched a new cultural centre in Dublin that brings art and activism under one roof. Officially opened on September 5, 2025, the International Centre for the Arts & Equality offers a space for creativity deeply rooted in values of social justice, human rights, and community participation.
A space built on values
This is not just another gallery. The new centre in Sandycove was conceived as a site for inclusive creative exchange—where art doesn’t simply reflect the world but helps reshape it. Smashing Times, known for its long-standing commitment to human rights through the arts, now has a permanent home that reflects its mission.
The centre will host visual art exhibitions, performances, poetry readings, workshops, and community events. Its design supports flexibility, enabling it to serve as both a professional venue and an accessible public space.
An opening that sets the tone
The centre’s inaugural exhibition, Landscapes of the Soul: Part One, by Mary Moynihan, brings together photography, poetry, and film to explore identity, emotional resilience, and self-expression. The show invites visitors to reflect on the inner landscapes that shape our connection to others and to ourselves.
Running through late September, the exhibition is as much about feeling as it is about form. It offers a fitting introduction to what the centre hopes to foster—art that resonates beyond aesthetics, art that speaks directly to lived experience.
Community at the core
One of the most compelling aspects of the new centre is its emphasis on community engagement. Smashing Times has always worked across sectors—arts, education, mental health, and social justice. The centre now offers a home base for that interdisciplinary approach.
Workshops, collaborative projects, and grassroots programming will allow local residents and visiting artists alike to take part. It’s a space for professional art, yes, but also for storytelling, for healing, and for conversation.
A timely model for the future
In an era when arts spaces are increasingly questioned for their accessibility and purpose, Smashing Times offers a thoughtful model. This centre doesn’t treat social impact as a bonus—it places it at the centre of the cultural experience.
With its opening, Dublin gains not only a new venue but a new kind of institution—one that doesn’t separate art from justice, or beauty from responsibility. It’s an ambitious beginning, and a hopeful one.
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