Artists transform Dublin's most iconic buildings in Winter Lights competition
The winners of ‘Dublin City Council Dublin Winter Lights’ competition have been announced.
This art competition encouraged artists from around the world to transform the façades of iconic Dublin buildings into unique storytelling canvasses. Both the GPO ‘Liberation’ and Hugh Lane Gallery ‘Reimagine and Regenerate’ Video Mapping Competitions gave artists the opportunity to highlight the spirit of innovation that defines Dublin .
The GPO Video Mapping Competition winner was Vali Chincișan who was awarded €15,000 for SHINE, a work exploring “freedom as an inner process.” Described as a reclaiming of voice, identity and personal expression, this work was inspired by conscious hip hop and Dadaist aesthetics.
As a blend of text, glitches and typographic collages, SHINE is light emerging from darkness – an act of self-affirmation through art. “The piece was created as a reflection on inner radiance, how light can emerge from within the city, its architecture, and its people, revealing brief moments of connection and wonder,” she said.
“My work celebrates this shared brightness, showing how our voices, our movement, and our presence can generate a light greater than any of us alone. I’m deeply grateful to the jury and to the ‘ Dublin City Council Dublin Winter Lights’ team for the opportunity to share this vision with the city.”
With entries from all over the world, this year saw more Irish artists participate than ever before and had eight finalists, including Solasine, the first entry from Ireland to be shortlisted. The eight artworks by this year’s finalists are displayed on the GPO until the end of December, exploring the theme of ‘Liberation’.
The High Lane Video Mapping Competition in partnership with Dublin City Council and the Embassy of France in Ireland was for NCAD Moving Image Design students. This year’s theme was ‘Reimagine and Regenerate,” with Mya Byrne Archbold and Milana Sabanina as the winners. The award is a trip to France to attend the Image Beyond the Screen International Conference (IBSIC) and the associated Lille Video Mapping Festival in 2026.
Speaking at the award ceremony Councillor Clodagh Ni Mhuiri spoke of the competition's "particularly apt and timely” theme as they advance the Parnell Square Cultural Quarter Project. “This flagship civic project will serve as a cornerstone for learning, culture, and community engagement for generations to come. Congratulations to the talented winners, Mya Byrne Archbold and Milana Sabanina, she said.
Lord Mayor Cllr Ray McAdam also extended his congratulations to all of the winners for transforming landmark buildings into "vibrant works of art” and “bringing light and imagination to our city during the winter season.” The finalists and winning entries can be viewed in Hugh Lane Gallery, Parnell Square, until the end of December.
This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme