Staff at the facility signed blank canvases in an artistic project by Irish artist Kerry Guinan, which will now be shown at Ireland’s largest contemporary art museum.

A unique art project by Irish artist Kerry Guinan, created in collaboration with staff at the Daler-Rowney manufacturing facility in La Romana, will soon feature in a major exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA).

Daler-Rowney, a British manufacturer of art materials such as paints, brushes, and canvases, is one of the most popular brands among Irish artists. Its manufacturing operations are based in the La Romana Free Trade Zone in the Dominican Republic.

Kerry Guinan is an Irish conceptual artist, and currently a postdoctoral artistic researcher at The Centre for Art and the Political Imaginary, Sweden. She creates art projects with people around the world, exploring long-distance relationships formed by global social, economic and technological systems.

In 2019, Guinan initiated a collaboration with the Daler-Rowney facility in La Romana for her project titled Artists. Staff in the canvas department were invited to each sign a blank canvas made in the department. Six people participated in the project: Julien Verhile, Orlando Saldivar, Victor Ramirez, Aneury Rondon, Carlos Roa, and Johan Rivera. They marked their signature in the bottom right corner of the canvases, where the artist’s signature is typically found.

The project highlights the often-unconsidered, international relationships between those who produce materials and those who use them. It celebrates the craftsmanship of the factory staff and identifies them as “artists” in their own right.

This summer, canvases from the Artists series will be presented as part of Staying with the Trouble, an exhibition at IMMA exploring the theme of kinship. IMMA is Ireland’s leading museum for contemporary and modern art, attracting around 1,700 visitors per day. The exhibition runs from the 2 May – 21 September 2025.

The six participants in the Dominican Republic are now part of a significant moment in Irish contemporary art.

Participant Julien Verhille, previously the Continuous Improvement Manager in Daler-Rowney, reflects upon the project:

“We put a great deal of care and dedication into every canvas we design and produce. We’re truly proud to have been recognised as a key of the artistic process in this exhibition”

For more:

Kerry Guinan’s artist website: https://kerryguinan.art/

Exhibition webpage: https://imma.ie/whats-on/staying-with-the-trouble/

Kerry Guinan contact: Kerry.guinan@gmail.com