Save The Complex!

The Complex, Dublin’s multidisciplinary arts centre in the D7 Markets area, has announced that it has been given notice to close on January 14th 2026. The news arrived as a shock to the city’s arts community, for whom the venue has served as a rare and valuable combination of eighteen studios, a gallery, and a large performance space in the north inner city. Its closure not only raises immediate questions for the dozens of artists who rely on it but highlights the increasingly precarious landscape for independent arts spaces in Dublin.

The Complex is the only multidisciplinary arts centre operating in Dublin’s north inner city. Formed in 2008, it became a home to visual artists, theatre-makers, musicians, designers, and more, providing workspaces and platforms for a wide range of creative practices. Based in former warehouse buildings in the Markets area near Smithfield, the centre offers space for rehearsal, exhibition, and live work to exist under one roof.

Over the years, it has built a reputation for inclusive, experimental, community-driven art and has offered a platform for work that often falls outside mainstream institutions. It has been regularly funded by the Arts Council since 2018 and by Dublin City Council since 2010, and has been regarded by both funders, as well as by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport as an integral part of the city’s cultural infrastructure.

The Complex is now facing the loss of its home following the issuing of a notice to quit its current premises. In recent years, the organisation had been pursuing a plan to secure long-term ownership of its current premises rather than remain dependent on short-term tenancy arrangements. Central to that plan was a proposed shared-ownership model, developed in consultation with a private developer, under which part of the building would remain in permanent cultural use while other sections would be redeveloped.

The financial structure for the proposal included a €6 million funding request submitted to the Department of Finance, which the organisation had identified as the final element required to make the purchase viable. While Dublin City Council had indicated its willingness to support aspects of the project, the absence of a confirmed state commitment has left the plan unresolved to date. As a result, The Complex remains subject to the terms of its existing lease and the notice to quit.

Throughout this process, the centre has maintained that it continues to operate as normal while efforts to secure a solution continue. However, with a deadline now set to vacate the building, the future of the organisation, and of the artists and programmes based there, remains uncertain. For the artists who work at The Complex, the implications of the proposed closure are immediate and significant. The centre is home to eighteen studio artists, many of whom rely on the space not only as a place to work but as an essential part of their professional practice.

Losing access to affordable, long-term studio space in Dublin, which is already in extremely short supply, presents both practical and financial challenges, particularly for artists working outside commercial or institutional frameworks.Beyond the studios, the potential loss of the venue would disrupt exhibitions, rehearsals,performances, and commissioned work scheduled well into 2026.

The Complex has been a rare environment in which artists from different disciplines coexist, collaborate, and present work to the public, often at an experimental or developmental stage. Its closure would not only displace individual practitioners but damage a wider creative community built over more than a decade, with consequences that affect more than just the building itself.

Since the announcement, the news of The Complex’s impending closure has prompted a strong response from Dublin’s arts community and beyond. Artists, audiences, and cultural workers have expressed concern about the loss of one of the city’s most significant artist-lead spaces, with many pointing to its long-standing role in supporting experimental and early-stage work. In response, The Complex has launched a public campaign aimed at securing its future, using its platforms to outline what is at stake and to call for support from policymakers and the wider public.

Statements of solidarity have been shared by artists and organisations who have worked with the centre over the years, while discussions around the closure have sparked broader debates about the vulnerability of independent cultural spaces in Dublin. While no resolution has yet been announced, the visibility of the campaign has helped ensure that the situation remains firmly in the public eye as negotiations and efforts to find a solution continue.

With the notice to vacate now in place, The Complex faces an urgent window to secure its future. The organisation has indicated that discussions with relevant stakeholders, including local and national authorities, are ongoing, but no confirmed resolution has been reached. The coming weeks will be critical in determining whether the centre can remain in its current premises, move to an alternative location, or find a financial agreement that allows it to purchase part of the building.

Beyond the immediate logistics, the situation highlights a wider challenge for Dublin’s cultural sector: independent, artist-led spaces operate in an increasingly precarious landscape, where access to long-term, affordable premises is limited and funding structures can be complex.

Ensuring the survival of spaces like The Complex requires a combination of targeted investment, long-term planning, and public support. How these pieces come together in the coming weeks will determine not only the centre’s future but also the health of Dublin’s independent arts scene.

Show Your Support – Sign The Petition to show we care about Cultural Spaces  my.uplift.ie/petitions/save-the-complex-in-dublin