Our commissions
Shaping our future
"Artistic commissions have a fundamental role to play in shaping our future – how RCSI represents itself, its people, its place in society – and how this is remembered for generations to come." — Aíne Gibbons, Chair of the RCSI Art Committee
The RCSI Art Committee, in partnership with Business to Arts, manages all major art commissions across the institution. This includes recurring commissions such as the RCSI Art Award and Presidents' Portrait, as well as one-off commemorative or celebratory commissions.
Throughout the process, we work closely with commissioning bodies in RCSI to understand their vision for a piece, collaborate with artists on concept development, and support them to deliver an artwork that fulfils the commission brief.
Inclusive culture
Artistic commissions allow us to bring the contemporary values of RCSI to life in innovative and meaningful ways. Commissions play a critical role in increasing representation within the collections, and the commissioning process is underpinned by the guiding principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion.
New commissions are integral to the development of inclusive contemporary collections that represent the diversity of the RCSI community. They reflect the breadth of activity within the College, and allow us to explore shared experiences of health and well-being – from the perspective of both patients and practitioners – that bring us together as humans.
Recent commissions have spanned a range of media and art forms.
Created by Vanessa Donoso Lopez and curated by Clodagh Kenny, 'Time Capsule' was commissioned to celebrate the opening of 26 York Street, RCSI’s new state-of-the-art academic and educational building, in 2017.
The installation was created in collaboration with graduating students from the Class of 2017 and includes contributions by higher degree and surgical training alumni from the same academic year.
It consists of 448 clay bullae, each representing an individual time capsule and containing a message from the student to their future selves. The installation will remain intact over the next 40 years until the bullae are re-opened by participating students at the 2057 class reunion.
About the artist
Vanessa Donoso Lopez was born in Barcelona, Spain, and lives and works between Dublin and Barcelona. She studied at the School of Arts and Design Llotja, Barcelona, the University of Barcelona and the Winchester College of Art, UK.
Vanessa works principally in installations; her practice is often collaborative, developing through a variety of media and mechanisms such as archaeological experimentation and repetitive object making. She is interested in exploring concepts of transitional phenomena relating to identity and narratives in her work – its inconstancy and complexity and the impact of space and time on the development of identity and narrative.
Vanessa has exhibited extensively across Europe and has undertaken numerous residencies in Ireland and Spain.
Created by Northern Ireland sculptor, John Rainey, two new portrait sculptures were commissioned by the RCSI Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in 2022 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Faculty’s annual International Research and Education Conference.
The pieces depict Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth O’Farrell, two pioneering figures in the history of nursing and midwifery and influential social reformers. They are the first new commissions to RCSI’s portrait sculpture collection in 200 years, and the first to depict women.
About the artist
Born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, in 1985, John Rainey graduated from the Royal College of Art, London in 2012. He has undertaken residencies at Eton College Drawing Schools (Eton, UK), the Digital Stone Project (Gramolazzo, Italy), The British School at Rome (Rome, Italy), and Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design (Stockholm, Sweden).
He has had solo exhibitions at Berg Gallery, Stockholm; Naughton Gallery at Queens University, Belfast; Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast; and Marsden Woo Gallery, London. His work is included in public collections such as the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, Ulster Museum in Belfast, the UK Government Art Collection, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Collection, as well as in numerous private collections in Europe.
Created by internationally renowned stained glass artist, George Walsh, 'Floreat' was commissioned as a gift to RCSI by the Association of Medical and Dental Graduates in 2023.
Inspired by a previous gift from the Association to the College of a stained glass window by artist Kitty O’Brien in 1960, the artwork celebrates RCSI’s leadership and achievements in shaping the future of medicine and healthcare globally. It also honours the University’s special bond with its graduates. Floreat takes its name from the first word of the Association’s motto; it means to flourish, to bloom, or – when used at the beginning of a sentence – ‘Long live’.
About the artist
Artist George Walsh was born in Dublin. He trained as an apprentice in stained glass studios in Belfast and the United States and studied at the Belfast School of Art.
George also completed a triptych in stained glass for the Albert Theatre in RCSI’s historic buildings at 123 St Stephen’s Green. Commissioned as part of the millennium redevelopment of the Albert Theatre and installed in 2002, these pieces depict the development of surgery and medicine through the ages and highlight RCSI’s place in the context of global healthcare.
Created by Joe Caslin, ‘Alumni – Connecting and Inspiring’ was commissioned by RCSI’s Alumni Relations team to celebrate the University’s inspirational alumni role models recognised at the RCSI 2024 Alumni Awards.
‘Alumni – Connecting and Inspiring’ captures portraits of the seven alumni awardees who were nominated by classmates and peers in recognition of their achievements in the field of healthcare. Caslin drew on biographies and interviews with the individual awardees to inform his approach, and combined this inspiration with his own interest in stained glass window design to create a piece that serves as a medium for storytelling.
Measuring more than 45 square metres, Caslin’s piece is located on the wall overlooking the foyer of RCSI’s Dublin campus on 123 St Stephen’s Green. Read more about the commission here and find out about the individual alumni featured here.
About the artist
Born in Roscommon, Joe Caslin is an Irish street artist, art teacher and activist. Best known for his beautifully rendered monochrome pencil drawings that manifest as towering murals, his work engages directly with the social issues of modern Ireland.
Caslin has undertaken large-scale installations for National Gallery of Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, Cruinniú na nÓg, The Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (IACP) and Dublin Samaritans, among others. See more of his work at joecaslin.com.
The RCSI Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery commissioned artist John Rainey to create a portrait sculpture of Dame Peta Taaffe in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Faculty’s establishment in 1974.
As a founding Fellow of the RCSI Faculty of Nursing, this commission honours Dame Peta Taaffe’s role as a pioneer and leader in the field of Irish nursing and midwifery. As the first Chief Nursing Officer with the Department of Health, she had a transformative influence on nurse training and education in Ireland and the development of structured career pathways for Irish nurses and midwives.
The choice of materials for and composition of Dame Peta Taaffe’s sculpture are a visual echo of the Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth O’Farrell busts previously created by Rainey for the RCSI Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in 2022. All three pieces now sit together in the historic Atrium of RCSI on 123 St Stephen’s Green.
About the artist
Born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, in 1985, John Rainey graduated from the Royal College of Art, London in 2012. He has undertaken residencies at Eton College Drawing Schools (Eton, UK), the Digital Stone Project (Gramolazzo, Italy), The British School at Rome (Rome, Italy), and Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design (Stockholm, Sweden).
He has had solo exhibitions at Berg Gallery, Stockholm; Naughton Gallery at Queens University, Belfast; Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast; and Marsden Woo Gallery, London. His work is included in public collections such as the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, Ulster Museum in Belfast, the UK Government Art Collection, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Collection, as well as in numerous private collections in Europe.
