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Isabel Nolan Converts Irish Venice Pavilion into Secular Chapel

8/12/2026

Summary

Story summary

Artist Isabel Nolan turned the Irish pavilion at the Venice Biennale into a secular chapel named Dreamshook.
The chapel opens into a pale-yellow, daylight-filled room dominated by a radiant tapestry of archangel wings, books, a sun-lit orb and fish.
Nolan mixes sculpture, textile, painting, drawing and text, displaying bent metal works, tapestries and drawings.
She added benches for contemplation and says her London exhibition examines how grandeur can feel hollow.

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Story summary

Artist Isabel Nolan turned the Irish pavilion at the Venice Biennale into a secular chapel named Dreamshook.
The chapel opens into a pale-yellow, daylight-filled room dominated by a radiant tapestry of archangel wings, books, a sun-lit orb and fish.
Nolan mixes sculpture, textile, painting, drawing and text, displaying bent metal works, tapestries and drawings.
She added benches for contemplation and says her London exhibition examines how grandeur can feel hollow.