Cultural Event: The Glucksman Gallery to host "RINN/輪: An Ireland and Japan dialogue on making, place and time"

 To celebrate the strong cultural connections between Japan and Ireland, Making In by Joseph Walsh Studio is presenting RINN/輪 Ireland and Japan: a dialogue on making, place and time, an exhibition that explores the culture of making and its relationship to place and time through the work of Irish and Japanese artists and architects.

Created as part of the Ireland Japan 2025 programme, in partnership with the Government of Ireland, the exhibition premiered in April 2025 in Tokyo, at both Ireland House and A Lighthouse called Kanata Gallery.

At the Osaka World Expo 2025 (13 April - 13 October 2025),  a large-scale outdoor sculpture by Joseph Walsh entitled Magnus Rinn, is prominently on show at the Ireland. Pavilion.  Photo by Joseph Walsh Studio. 

It now travels from Tokyo to Cork City, Ireland, where it will run from 26 July to 2 November 2025 at The Glucksman, a contemporary art museum on the campus of University College Cork, designed by O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects.  

The Osaka World Expo 2025 (13 April – 13 October) has opened, and one of the highlights showcased is a sculpture by Irish artist Joseph Walsh who has unveiled Magnus Rinn, his first large-scale outdoor sculpture, at the Ireland Pavilion. 

Inspired by Making In - Joseph Walsh’s cultural programme - and the connections that have developed between makers from Japan and Ireland, the exhibition is curated by Joseph Walsh and Wahei Aoyama of A Lighthouse called Kanata Gallery. 

The word RINN has meaning in both Gaelic and Japanese; in Gaelic it translates as a point or a headland, in Japanese it means circle or ring. Featuring both new and collaborative works from Irish and Japanese makers in art and architecture, RINN/輪 Ireland and Japan: a dialogue on making, place and time explores the idea of circularity, connections between people, relationship to place and to the past and the future through material form-finding. 

While each piece is a personal expression of form, the works exhibited are united by a shared immersion in the culture of making. Whether drawing on craft heritage – the materials and skills associated with place - or exploring new techniques and materials, they all share an intimate relationship with the handmade.

In addition to presenting the dialogues between Irish and Japanese artists first shown in Tokyo, the exhibition in Cork expands to include a focus on the Rambling Houses at Fartha by O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects who also designed the Glucksman building.

RINN/輪 Ireland and Japan: a dialogue on making, place and time is presented by Making In by Joseph Walsh Studio, in partnership with the Government of Ireland. It forms part of the Ireland Japan 2025 programme and includes projects in Tokyo and at Expo Osaka, as well as Cork. The exhibition gallery partner is A Lighthouse called Kanata.