Language as Wound, Silence as War — PIGSY Returns to Dublin with a Powerful New Exhibition
Guest post by Maureen McDonnell, Stone Step Gallery
After captivating audiences in Mexico with his emotionally charged Tá Brón Orm (2024) and Níl Brón Orm (2025), Irish contemporary artist PIGSY returns home to Dublin for the final chapter in his Automatic Apology Trilogy. His upcoming solo exhibition, “Language as Wound, Silence as War,” promises an evening of raw honesty, artistic vulnerability, and profound human connection.
An Unflinching Exploration of Words, Silence, and Healing
On Friday, 21 November, at Fade Street Studios, Dublin, PIGSY unveils a new series of large-scale paintings that challenge how we use — and misuse — language. This one-night-only event invites viewers into a space where art, psychology, and emotion intertwine.
Throughout this new body of work, PIGSY continues his exploration of the invisible scars that language can leave behind. His canvases linger in the charged silence between speaker and listener — the fragile moment where apology, guilt, and reconciliation coexist.
In his own words, the artist describes his process as one of “turning inward to listen.” During his recent residency at La Casa Amarilla in Málaga, he worked in complete darkness, sketching instinctively to capture subconscious images. From this silence, striking, gestural paintings emerged — works that are both intimate and universal, offering reflection on how our words and silences shape connection in an increasingly divided world.
From Mexico to Málaga to Dublin — A Global Journey of Expression
PIGSY’s SORRY Series has evolved through diverse cultural landscapes. From Mexico’s vibrant symbolism to Spain’s meditative stillness and now a return to Dublin, where the trilogy began. Each exhibition has built upon the last, forming a cohesive yet deeply personal narrative about what it means to be human, to hurt and to heal.
In Language as Wound, Silence as War, the artist incorporates ritualistic motifs — crosses, thorns, and sacred hearts — not as religious icons, but as shared symbols of suffering and renewal. The resulting paintings feel both ancient and immediate, offering space for collective reflection and emotional release.
Why This Exhibition Matters
In a time when global tension and personal disconnection often dominate our daily lives, PIGSY’s new work asks a critical question: What happens when we stop speaking — or when we speak without meaning?
Through his immersive process and visual storytelling, PIGSY encourages us to reconsider how communication — and its absence — shapes our relationships, our societies, and our sense of self.
This isn’t just an exhibition; it’s an experience — a moment to pause, to listen, and perhaps to heal.
Event Details — One Night Only
Exhibition: Language as Wound, Silence as War
Artist: PIGSY
Date: Friday, 21 November 2025
Time: 6:30–8:30 PM
Venue: Fade Street Studios, 14 Fade Street, Dublin 2
RSVP: info@pigsy.art
About PIGSY
Known for his expressive, large-scale paintings and emotionally charged use of color and text, PIGSY is an Irish contemporary artist whose work examines the intersection of psychology, identity, and communication. His practice often merges raw emotion with intuitive mark-making, creating works that are at once deeply personal and widely resonant.
Through his SORRY Series, PIGSY invites audiences to witness — and participate in — the messy, beautiful process of being human.
About the Author
Maureen McDonnell is the curator and founder of Stone Step Gallery, Dublin. Passionate about supporting Irish contemporary artists and fostering international collaborations, she writes regularly about the intersection of art, emotion, and cultural identity.
