Reading Group: HAPPENSTANCE

Learn more about the artists and artworks on display at the Glucksman with our monthly Reading Group.

Learn more about the artists and artworks on display at the Glucksman with our monthly Reading Group led by Curator of Exhibitions + Projects Katie O'Grady.

Drawing on texts and essays across theory, fiction, biography, and poetry, we invite you to learn more about and discuss selected artworks from our current exhibition, Eilis O'Connell: HAPPENSTANCE.

Over the course of an hour, you will be invited to read a text aloud together* and discuss its themes, ideas, and context in relation to select artworks. This month, we will be reading Against Interpretation by Susan Sontag.

Against Interpretation is an essay that argues against the overwhelming focus on decoding hidden meanings in art, advocating instead the artwork's immediate, sensory, and formal qualities like surface, texture, and sheer presence, rather than a supposed "message" or symbolic content. This renewed perspective allows us to embrace a more direct, visceral engagement that celebrates the sensuality and mystery of art and can allow us to consider what it means to engage with art in real life in the digital age.

You do not need to prepare anything in advance, and no specialist knowledge is required.

Admission Free / Suggested donation €5

Saturday, 31 January, 10 - 11 am.

*You will be able to choose whether to read aloud or listen.