Artist Talk | History of LGBTQIA+ Activism in Ireland by Han Tiernan at the Luan Gallery

Event Details

Join us at Luan Gallery on Saturday 9th August at 12pm for an insightful and engaging talk by artist and researcher Han Tiernan, as they delve into the history of Irish LGBTQIA+ activism.

This talk will shine a light on key moments from the past 50 years of marches and protests in Ireland, with a special focus on the AIDS Memorial Quilt, currently on display at Luan Gallery as part of the group exhibitoon Soft Surge, and a powerful selection of placards and banners that have shaped Ireland’s LGBTQIA+ protest culture.

This event is free to attend and no booking is required.

This event is kindly supported by the Arts Council.

Han Tiernan (they/them) is a researcher, writer and artist based in Dublin. Their key area of interest is contemporary queer history and expanding narratives within the Irish LGBTQ+ community. Since 2022, Han has coordinated REWINDRECORD (RFR) along with Brendan Fox and the Museum of Everyone. RFR is a national touring initiative comprising talks, tours, exhibitions, and workshops exploring queer history and queer representation within a local context. In May 2023, Han co-produced the Unshrinking Violets: 50 Years of Lesbian Activism programme with Francis Fay for the Bealtaine Festival 2023. From September 2021 to April 2023, Han was the Editorial Assistant and Archivist with GCN (Gay Community News). During this time, they oversaw the digitisation and online launch of the GCN Archive. They were the lead researcher of the Queer-in-Progress. Timeline initiative and editor of the Queer-in-Progress. Timeline: Online Archive with Project Arts Centre. They also authored ‘Foul, Filthy, Stinking Muck’: the LGBT Theatre of Project Arts Centre, 1966 – 2000. Han is also the creator of the Ranelagh/Rathmines Queer Walking Tour and is currently the House Manager of Project Arts Centre.

Image details: The Irish Names Project, The Irish Names Quilt (1990 -), mixed media, fabric, found objects, personal belongings of deceased, dimensions variable. Photo by Louis Hough.