Previous Studio Artists and Co-Directors:
About
Basic Space is an independent art organisation with a programme of residencies, exhibitions and educational events in collaboration with practitioners and art institutions throughout Ireland.
We primarily work with emerging and early-career practitioners.
The majority of our projects are hosted or in collaboration with external institutions, where we act as a critical force, challenging attitudes and policy.
Basic Space operates a representative programme, prioritising practices by women, black/brown, disabled and queer artists.
Current Co-Directors:
Laura Harvey-Graham is a Déise-born Dublin-based editor, writer, and arts and cultural sector worker/marketing professional. She is the founder and editor-in chief of literary/visual arts journal An Capall Dorcha and has previously been involved in the arts sector via work with various organisations in Ireland and further afield including MoLI – Museum of Literature Ireland, Platform Arts, Todomuta Studio and more. She currently works in visual arts advocacy.
Ella Litton is a Dublin based Visual Artist and Curator, recently graduating from a Masters Degree in Art History, Collections and Curating at UCD and previosuly with a BA in Fine Art from TU Dublin in 2022. Ella is 2025-2027 Engagment & Learning Fellow at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Ella’s practice flows between both making and curating. As a recent graduate herself, Ella’s focus is to give emerging creatives the platform to discuss their practice, aiming to expand the dialogue between artists and spectators.
Ciara Magee is a visual arts producer and curator. She has previously worked with various arts organisations in both Ireland and the United States and was awarded the GOMA Emerging Curator Award, 2026.
Ciara is passionate about supporting emerging artists, helping them grow their practice through meaningful platforms and enriching cultural experiences.
She holds an MA in Cultural Policy and Arts Management from University College Dublin (2018) and a BA in Fine Art from the Limerick School of Art and Design (2016).
Ben Malcolmson is a visual artist and curator from Belfast who is based in Dublin. His fine art practice explores the parameters of photography, video, and sculpture using alternative photographic processes in relation to one’s land and identity. His curatorial interests encompass social engagement and activism through a public-centered approach, particularly for young people. He graduated with a First Class Honour Bachelor's of Photography with Video, from Belfast School of Art (2021) and achieved a commemoration in International Studies from The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (2019-2020). He was awarded as commission artist with Photo Museum Ireland on Shared Histories - Diverse Views (2024), a cross-border project that span over a year working with communities in regional areas along the Irish border.In 2027, Ben will undertake a year-long residential residency at Fire Station Artist Studios, Dublin. Additional activities include Trustee, Visual Artists Ireland, IRL (2025-), AIC Artist Mentoring Award, CREATE, IRL (2025), Constellations, Up Projects, ENG (2023-24), Making Marks Kuwait, Arab British Centre, ENG (2019).
Anna Jeznach is a Dublin-based curator working in the Collections Department at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. She was awarded the GOMA Emerging Curator Award in 2026. In 2025, she curated a major retrospective of pioneering Polish performance artist Zbigniew Warpechowski. Previously, she worked at MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, where she curated exhibitions, conducted artist interviews, and initiated the museum’s first international art competition. Her curatorial practice is rooted in collaboration and dialogue, with a focus on building meaningful, long-term relationships with artists and mutual support.
History
Basic Space was founded in 2010 by Kari Cahill, Greg Howie, Hannah Fitz and Hugo Byrne and occupied a vacant warehouse on Vicar Street, which was host to studios and exhibitions. Basic Space subsequently was a resident of the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s Residency Programme, followed by a move to the Vacant Space Scheme’s Eblana House in 2013. Eblana House was a multi-use space with studios, a workshop and exhibitions, which closed in April 2016. From 2016, Basic Space has occupied a number of spaces in Dublin, expanding collaborations with art institutions throughout Ireland to programme residencies, exhibitions and educational events.
To date, Basic Space has provided studios for 47 artists, programmed exhibitions and events throughout Ireland, fostered international collaboration and nurtured many of Ireland’s leading artistic practices.