Greens condemn government's failure to act on saving arts venue
15th January 2026
The Green Party is saddened to hear of the news that The Complex venue and arts studio in Dublin has closed its doors for the final time.
Green Party Councillor for the North Inner City Janet Horner said:
“The closure of The Complex is devastating for the North Inner City. For all the talk from Government TDs and ministers about the value of the arts and their commitment to the regeneration of the inner-city, they have let it and its artists down severely this week.
We cannot replace what is lost when our independent cultural spaces shut their doors.”
Councillor Donna Cooney, Green Party spokesperson for Arts and Culture said:
“The closure of the Complex is terrible for Dublin. It also damages the reputation of Irish culture internationally.
The artists who used this space are recognised worldwide and there has been huge recognition for Ireland’s support for artists, with countries such as Australia, Wales, South Korea, Canada, Norway, Lithuania, Estonia and the Council of the European Union expressing interest in the Basic Income for the Arts scheme introduced by the Green Party when in government.
Closing The Complex is a massively regressive step and shows a lack of value or understanding by the Government for artists and the places art is created.”
Adam Devine, Co-Chair of the Young Greens added:
“Young people across Ireland are screaming out for things to do. They want nightlife, they want to go to concerts, comedy, art galleries and exhibitions. The Complex is a space that provided all of that and more, right in the heart of Dublin on the LUAS red line.
It wasn’t just that though, it was a space for artists to work, with seventeen artists studios that are now closed leaving said artists without a place to work. Young people who want to choose the arts as a career are facing a massive uphill battle as the spaces for them slowly disappear. A piece of history dies with the closure of The Complex, but so does a piece of the future.”
ENDS
