Sean Lynch's Adventure: Capital installation represents Ireland at 2015 Venice Biennale

Sean Lynch represents Ireland at the 2015 Venice Biennale with a new installation titled Adventure: Capital in the Arsenale's Artiglierie section. The work includes a video and sculptural elements exploring Ireland's built environment and historical frameworks. Lynch's approach extends from his 2014 exhibition at Modern Art Oxford about nineteenth-century stone carvers John and James O'Shea, whose Venetian-inspired carvings challenged establishment norms. He views the pavilion as a platform to address Ireland's post-colonial conservatism and advocate for diversity over nationalism. The installation incorporates regional Irish references like reactions to modern art vandalism and ancient fairy bushes, while also considering Venice's river god motif historically used on Irish currency. After Venice, Adventure: Capital will tour Ireland. Lynch recalls memorable past Biennale moments including Francesco Bonami's 2003 exhibition and Belfast artists' 2005 bathtub gondola. He looks forward to seeing the Belgian pavilion's artists and the unrealized 1950s Irish pavilion proposal between the British and Greek pavilions. The Biennale participation raises artistic ambition in Ireland, though Lynch notes Northern Ireland's absence from representation needs addressing.