Home is Where the Art Is
James Flanagan, Desmond Murphy, Mark Redden
18 - 30 June 2026
The story
Murphy and Flanagan are ambassadors for Focus Ireland’s Lived Experience Ambassador Programme (LEAP). Established by Focus Ireland in 2021, LEAP empowers people with lived experience of homelessness to share their stories, challenge stereotypes, and thereby informing and influencing public policy. Each LEAP member’s term concludes with a bespoke project honouring the ambassador’s contribution.
Home is Where the Art Is began in September 2025 when Mark Redden hosted Murphy and Flanagan at his Barcelona studio. During their residency, they created paintings and drawings in direct response to a visit to the Joan Miró Foundation. On their return to Dublin, the artists continued to create – through workshops at TØN, gallery/museum visits, and impromptu drawing sessions in cafés across the city – with Redden facilitating throughout.
The work centres on the concept of home not just as a physical place of shelter but as a place of memory, dignity, and belonging. Through these works, created in non-traditional, non-studio spaces, Murphy and Flanagan challenge public perceptions of art and homelessness.
Artist
James Flanagan, Desmond Murphy, Mark Redden
Work
Recent shows
Tøn exists for art that stays open — work that questions more than it concludes. We look for contemporary artists who are honest about the search, not just the result. We're always open to those we haven't met yet.
