Art Exhibition: Phenomenal Irish Women by Ishmael Claxton
The eighth edition of the Italian Fusion Festival will feature a solo art exhibition by artist Ishmael Claxton. Titled “Phenomenal Irish Women”. Inspired by a poem by Maya Angelou, this captivating exhibition will be displayed during the festival at the United Arts Club. The exhibition will be open throughout the festival evening, allowing attendees to immerse themselves in Ishmael Claxton’s evocative visual narratives while enjoying the vibrant lineup of musical performances, Italian food, Prosecco and more.
The Art exhibition started at the kitchen table. When Ishmael Claxton’s daughter was working on a school project about Irish inventors, she noticed something troubling: every name on her list was a white man’s. Her father’s response was simple but profound: “There are loads of phenomenal Irish women too.” That moment of recognition became the spark for an extraordinary body of work celebrating Ireland’s remarkable women, both famous and forgotten.
Drawing inspiration from Maya Angelou’s iconic poem “Phenomenal Woman” and from conversations with Nancy Claxton, Ishmael created an exhibition that challenges how we see Irish history and who gets to be part of it. This show honours those who shaped, challenged, and redefined Ireland through public life, art, politics, and everyday acts of resistance.
Phenomenal Irish Women brings together stories spanning centuries and crossing every social boundary. The exhibition features legendary figures such as Grace O’Malley, Queen Maedbh, and Constance Markievicz, alongside reformers and leaders including Eva Gore Booth, Mary Robinson, Mary McAleese, and Bernadette Devlin. These are the women who dared to reimagine what Ireland could be.
The exhibition also pays tribute to truth-tellers like Catherine Corless, Christine Buckley, and Mary Raftery, and celebrates visionary artists such as Mainie Jellett, Eileen Gray, Sinead O’Connor, Imelda May, and Edna O’Brien. Each woman represents a unique story of resilience, artistry, and defiance that helped weave the fabric of modern Ireland.
This project grew organically through community participation. Claxton posed a simple question to women across Ireland: “Who are the phenomenal women to you?” Their answers created a living, breathing archive that continues to expand with each telling.
The responses paint a vivid picture of contemporary Ireland. Athletes like Sonia O’Sullivan and Rhasidat Adeleke stand alongside activists and campaigners such as Ifrah Ahmed and Savita Halappanavar. Thinkers and creators, including Abeba Birhane, Una Minh Kavanagh, Sinead Burke, Ailbhe Smyth, and Dr Ebun Joseph, each add depth to our understanding of what it means to be Irish and phenomenal.
Inclusivity sits at the heart of this work. Claxton intentionally celebrates women from Asian Irish, Afro Irish, Traveller, migrant, and LGBTQ+ communities, recognising that Ireland’s story becomes richer and more truthful when all voices are heard.
Each artwork in the exhibition uses cyanotype printing, a 19th-century photographic technique that creates deep indigo-blue images. Rather than conventional portraits, Claxton captures traces: a handprint, a protest banner, a domestic object, a line of text. These are symbols of resistance and remembrance.
The ghostly blue images speak to history’s dual nature—simultaneously present and fading, personal and collective. Together, they create a constellation of memory, a collective portrait of courage stretching across generations.
At its core, this exhibition is about shared legacy. Visitors are invited to participate by adding the names of women who have shaped their own lives. With each showing, the archive grows, embodying Maya Angelou’s powerful declaration:
“I come as one, but I stand as ten thousand.”
Phenomenal Irish Women is a thank you to those ten thousand women—the artists, mothers, activists, thinkers, workers, and dreamers whose courage and imagination continue to shape Ireland today.
This exhibition finds its ideal home within the Italian Fusion Festival. Both the festival and Phenomenal Irish Women share a fundamental commitment to integration, creativity, and multiculturalism. Just as the festival celebrates the blending of Italian and Irish cultures through art, food, and community, Claxton’s work celebrates the diverse voices that make Ireland whole. Together, they champion the power of art to bridge cultures, honour overlooked stories, and build a more inclusive future.
The exhibition will be hosted at the United Arts Club in Dublin, a historic venue known for fostering artistic innovation and cultural dialogue, making it the perfect setting for this important conversation about identity, belonging, and recognition.
About the Artist
Ishmael Claxton is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores identity, memory, and belonging through photography, printmaking, and installation. Born in New York City and based in Ireland, his practice examines how culture, race, and history intersect in contemporary Irish life.
Using techniques like cyanotype and layered collage, Claxton merges the poetic with the political, creating visual archives that speak to both personal and collective experience. His recent work focuses on representation and amplifying voices that have been overlooked or marginalised.
With Phenomenal Irish Women, Claxton continues this mission, intertwining art, activism, and history to celebrate the courage, creativity, and resilience of women who made—and continue to make—change possible.
