Frances Ryan is a Dublin-based contemporary artist whose practice spans more than two decades of exhibitions in Ireland and the UK. She graduated as a mature student in Fine Art from the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) in 1997, establishing a sustained and evolving studio practice since then.
Ryan’s work is held in a number of public collections, including the Office of Public Works (OPW) State Art Collection, the AIB Art Collection, the Ballinglen Foundation Archive, the Department of Finance (Northern Ireland), and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Her work engages with ideas of ephemerality, fragility, and resilience through an ongoing dialogue with the natural world. This thematic focus underpins a practice that reflects on impermanence and endurance, exploring how these conditions are expressed through material and perceptual experience.
‘Undergrowth (Kylemore Abbey)’ 20 x 25 cms (2026)
2026 Highlights
‘A Day in May’ Group Exhibition at Spirit Studios Suffolk in association with John Martin Gallery & Auto Amor - Group Show (Invited Artist) (July)
‘Visual Thread’ Boyle Arts Festival Ireland Visual Arts Main Exhibition at King House (Invited Artist) (July)
Summer Exhibition at Mount Congreve Gardens, Co. Waterford (invited artist) (July)
Artist Talk Gorey Art Collective Co. Wexford (June)
196th RHA Annual Exhibition Dublin (May-Aug)
Jacksons Art Prize Shortlist (Bankside Gallery London - June)
3 Day Workshop ‘Landscape & Memory’ Artform Co. Waterford
The Space Between Group Exhibition by MFA Winter Residency artists (one month residency award) hosted by the University of Notre Dame at Kylemore Abbey. Notre Dame Kylemore, Co. Galway, Ireland (February 2026)
‘Sun Showers (Walled Garden)’ 20 x 25 cms (2026) Selected for this year’s Royal Hibernian Academy Summer Exhibition in Dublin (opens May ‘26)
