Artist follows her dream in art exhibition at dlr LexIcon

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is pleased to present Follow Your Dream, an exhibition of new artworks by Bennie Reilly. The exhibition opens at the Municipal Gallery, dlr LexIcon in Dún Laoghaire on Sunday 1 March and runs until Wednesday 29 April 2026. Admission is free.

This exhibition of paintings and mixed-media sculptures by Bennie Reilly draws on her interest in museum collections, natural history, and her own interactions with the natural world. Her paintings stem from an ever growing archive of personal photographs, while her sculptural works combine bric-a-brac and natural artefacts collected over many years. Together, these artworks celebrate the oddities and allure of nature and its positive impact on our well-being.

The title derives from graffiti Reilly saw in a derelict hut overlooking a scenic salt lake in Formentera: “Follow your dream.” Initially amused by the cliché, she photographed the scene and later pinned it up in her Dublin studio. Was this a portal to whimsical, relaxing memories?   Perhaps, but she succumbed to using this throwaway mantra as a permission of sorts: encouraging her to accept her instinct.  When Reilly applied the idea of following her dream, it acted as a net to catch a wide variety of ideas and scenes.

Beachcombing, exploration and travel are integral to Reilly's practice and are pleasures she values deeply at a time when many have lost such basic privileges and freedom.

Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Councillor Jim Gildea said: 

“It is a delight to welcome such a captivating and thoughtfully presented exhibition to our Municipal Gallery. Bennie Reilly’s work invites us to pause, look closer and rediscover the quiet magic of the natural world.”

Chief Executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Frank Curran added: 

“We are proud to support artists of Bennie Reilly’s calibre and to offer the public the opportunity to experience inspiring visual art at dlr LexIcon. Exhibitions like this enrich the cultural life of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown”

Alongside the exhibition, dlr Arts Office will run a programme of accompanying talks, workshops and events. This offers many opportunities for people of all ages to interact with the gallery in different ways, learning about and trying out different art-making techniques. For further details, visit the website www.dlrcoco.ie/arts