TD 1
ART Children of the Sun Written by Hilary Fannin,
after Gorky and directed by Lynne Parker, this Rough Magic and Abbey Theatre co-production comes to the Abbey stage in just three weeks. The story of how “a small family, their collection of friends and one eccentric stranger distract, entertain and enrage each other in a moment of crisis.” Playwright Hilary Fannin says: “What value is prediction when the writing is splashed on the wall? Children of the Sun, after Maxim Gorky’s 1905 text, is a mordantly comic exploration of one household’s attempts to shelter from the merciless approach of imminent devastation under a tattered blanket of art, beauty and dog-eared love.” Abbey Theatre, 13th April - 11th May On the Abbey stage from 13th April to 11th May, tickets are on sale now PHOTOGRAPHY You’ll Never be Cool Again! – Ishmael Claxton The first of three solo shows over the coming months from Claxton, one of our favorite photographers. Navigating the ways in which those niche interests that defined subcultures have now become fashionable. From The artist himself:” Owning your un-coolness, your true nerdy unabashed self, is the secret to becoming a person people want to be around. To develop a personal style is to enter so completely into one’s own inspired creative flow that everything you do, say, wear, and create, is stamped with your indelible palpable if sometimes invisible mark. And in life, it’s not what you do, but how you do it, that counts.” Liberty Ink, April 11th, 18:00 - 21:00 ishmaelclaxton.com ART we make our own histories COMEDY Bassem Youseff – The Middle Beast I love him for making Piers Morgan look like the ineffectual, impotent twit he is, but I’m not alone. Egyptian-American comedian Bassem Youssef is no stranger to admiration, having been named among the Time Magazine most influential list for 2013, awarded the International Press Freedom Award by the CPJ, and being chosen by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the global thinkers during the same year. Fiercely intelligent and with wit to make it palatable, he never fails to make me laugh, or make me think. National Stadium, Dublin, 2nd May bassemyoussef.xyz The first exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland featuring a contemporary artist responding to its collection ‘we make our own histories’ is a multimedia show, the sum of Anthony Haughey’s three-year Artist Residency. Highlights include ‘A Dress for Akunma’, a stunning garment which fuses Irish Ogham script and Nsibidi, ‘A Manifesto for A Future Ireland’ the result of five Young People’s Assemblies held last year. From artist, Anthony Haughey: “The discovery of my grandfather’s contribution to the 1922 War of Independence, documented in the Bureau of Military History, led me to this residency. The outcome, a historical continuum that continues to shape and inform collective identities. In years to come Akunma will visit the National Museum of Ireland with her teenage daughter, Kosi Anaya and son Kamsi Reign. Imagine their surprise when they discover the dress made for their mother in 2022 – part of the Museum’s permanent collection, an artwork that utterly embraces transcultural identities and a transforming Ireland.” The National Museum of Ireland Until the 30th of June BOOK LAUNCH The Instruments of Darkness by John Connolly “A Child Missing. A Mother Accused. Charlie Parker Is Their Only Hope.” The latest Charlie Parker novel from esteemed author of horror and mystery, John Connolly. The literary heart of Temple Bar, Gutter Bookshop, will be holding a free discussion, greeting, and signing with Connolly to celebrate the twentythird novel in the series. The enjoyable thriller will see Connollys storied anti-hero investigate a mother and a missing child. The Gutter Bookshop, Temple Bar Monday 29th April 6.30pm until 7.30pm 52