A striking new public artwork by Irish artist Joe Caslin has appeared on Townsend Street, offering a powerful meditation on identity, resilience and belonging.
Titled SEEN, the 50-foot installation was created in collaboration with 12 LGBTQIA+ Ukrainian refugees and migrants living in Ireland through the Irish Red Cross Ukrainian Community Centre. Developed over six months, the project involved workshops, gallery visits and creative sessions exploring themes of displacement, visibility and community.
Rendered in Caslin’s signature large-scale black-and-white style, the mural depicts a young trans man standing tall despite being pierced by arrows symbolising harm inflicted by external forces. His unwavering gaze speaks to endurance and survival.
Commissioned through the EU4Health Programme’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, SEEN is as much about the collaborative process as the finished artwork. Participants worked closely with Caslin throughout, shaping a piece that reflects both their personal experiences and the collective strength of a community too often overlooked.
Caslin, whose previous large-scale works have sparked national conversations around equality and mental health, says the piece is about “visibility as recognition” — acknowledging that every person’s story matters and that everyone deserves to feel seen, heard and valued.
“SEEN is ultimately about visibility. Not visibility as spectacle, but visibility as recognition – the simple act of acknowledging that someone is there, that their story matters, and that they belong.”
Speaking about the work involved the artist said, “Over six months I had the privilege of working alongside an extraordinary group of people who brought honesty, courage and creativity to every stage of the process. The artwork reflects their experiences, but it also speaks to something universal: the importance of being seen, heard and valued.
Still, 11 years on from The Claddagh Embrace ahead to the 2015 marriage equality referendum, I am interested in how art can create space for conversation and bring people together. I hope this artwork can do the same.”
Reflecting on the process, one of the Ukrainian LGBTQIA+ young people who participated in the project said, “Working with Joe was a valuable opportunity to explore and express our identities through art. It was a new and meaningful experience for everyone in the group, helping us learn more about the history of the LGBTQIA+ community in Ireland while building a strong sense of connection and belonging with one another.”
SEEN is now on public display at 180–187 Townsend Street, Dublin 2, where it adds another thought-provoking landmark to the city’s ever-evolving street art landscape.
Words: Martina Murray
Images: Darragh McGirr
