Nickie Hayden

Hayden has been a practicing artist for over 30 years. She was a director in the Black Church Print Studio and Graphic Print Studio Dublin. She was also on the steering committee of two major exhibitions, ‘Revelations’ in the National Gallery, and ‘Artist Proof’ in the Chester Beatty Library. Her work is in many collections such as, OPW, National Gallery of Ireland, and many more. Hayden’s materials are intrinsic to her practice. She works in oil and acrylic painting, sculpture, mixed media and installation. Some of her work has been highly interactive. For example, in the past she has involved the general public and various international and Irish poets with her work.

Hayden has worked with community and literacy groups, such as the SAOL Project and Career Paths for Adult Dyslexics, in various exhibitions. Hayden’s most recent exhibition was the ‘Ulysses Haiku Project’ in The James Joyce Centre. She invited a number of poets including Theo Dorgan, Paula Meehan, Patricia Ross, Rachel Hegarty and Stephen Fry to write Ulysses related Haiku. Hayden’s goal is to make art inclusive. She believes that art reaches the parts of us that are most sensitive- It can allow deep connections with the inner self and with those that we share the artistic exploration with.

As part of the Ulysses Haiku Project at the James Joyce Centre Dublin (2019-2020), Hayden invited Master Printmaker Robert Russell to create screenprints incorporating the poet’s Haiku. She created a Haiku wheel which became an interactive installation. The general public were encouraged to write Haiku which were later placed on the wheel. Inclusivity is an important part of Hayden’s practice. Hayden started collecting Haiku for the ‘Drawing on Joyce’ 2018 Bloomsday exhibition in the Olivier Cornet Gallery. She felt taking the smallest form of poetry and setting it against one of the loftiest books by James Joyce would be an intriguing exercise, which she hoped would blossom into something bigger. 

Hayden joined the Olivier Cornet Gallery's AGA group in 2019 and she had a solo exhibition there in November 2020. The show, titled Sanctuary, was inspired by the words of poet Peter Money. 

Sanctuary, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

‘Settling the Past’, The Lab Gallery, Dublin.

Dalkey Arts, Co. Dublin.

Original Print Gallery

One-person exhibition, National Concert Hall, Dublin.

‘Tent of blue’, Langley House Art Gallery, Howth.

'On Paper', a winter group art show co-curated with Jackie Ryan.

'Resurfacing', end of Summer group show, 6-28 August 2020

'The Morphing Feminine', Bloomsday group show, 16 June - 30 July 2020

‘Ulysses Haiku Project’, The James Joyce Centre Dublin. ‘Drawing on Don Quixote', group show curated by Olivier Cornet and first presented at National Opera House (Oct 2019, Opera Festival Wexford), then at VUE Contemporary Art Fair (Nov 2019, RHA Dublin), and at the Olivier Cornet Gallery (Jan to Mar 2020).

‘Drawing on Joyce’, The Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

RHA Annual Exhibition, Dublin.

Annual Exhibition, Graphic Studio Gallery, Dublin.

‘A Beautiful Man’, Kenny Gallery Galway and Printmakers Gallery Dublin.

‘A Beautiful Man’, Talbot Gallery

‘Scape’, Graphic Studio, Dublin.

‘Mandscape’ The Ark.

‘Revelations’ The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.