Monster Truck Gallery and Studios

Dropping in here as part of Templebar’s «First Thursday» scheme, I didn’t quite know what to expect. Calling a gallery «Monster Truck» is disorienting enough. Getting there and finding the gallery dominated by a clanking garage door attached to a motion sensor and some spotlights took it to another level.
The space is a lot smaller than the name would suggest, and it was busy enough that I nearly stood on one of the four pieces on show. Still, it was worth calling into, and a good way to spend a spare few minutes.
Stumbling back onto Essex Street, suffering from severe sensory-​overload, I felt a lot like I’d just been steamrolled by some ridiculous vehicle. Guess that’s why they called it Monster Truck…

Serious art doesn’t always require a serious attitude, and nowhere is this ethos lived with such vigour as Monster Truck Gallery.
I remember when the space first opened; there was such positive energy and brilliant thinking already swirling in the ether above MT’s tiny cottage show room, there was no place to go but up. Three years on and the gallery, studios and collective are chugging along with a full head of creative steam.
Exhibitions inside run the gamut of medium, styles and thinking to great result. My last visit was on a chilly, rainy evening when ducking out of the muck to take in a few gigantic, bright canvases was exactly what the muse ordered.
Partly a result of Monster’s eye for real talent as well as the dedication of Dublin’s art community, the gallery and its artists have garnered serious buzz (and awards). New projects, exhibitions and talks are always on the go, and a well maintained site and blog keep virtual fans regularly appraised of the goings on here. And with a following that includes a few big names and big thinkers (halloo, Jeremy Irons!) this is really the little gallery that could… and does!

This is one of my favourite small galleries in Dublin.
The exhibitions are always interesting, different and inspiring.
Their launch nights are always fun as well.
Well worth a visit.

Come on, you have to smile at the name! All the other art galleries in the area are pretty tame and light and airy with their signage then you get an assault with Monster Truck as you get to the end of Francis street. It’s a collective effort of like minded artists and they rotate new work very frequently so you will always catch something fresh.
The name Monster Truck sets itself up to be something very different, gaudy even. When I went in their last they had some contemporary installations on display. Some interesting work, installations can be great fun especially for children because there is so much going on.
I loved the swing that was permanently being blown back by a fan. It’s on fire with imagination in there, so be careful!

Monster Truck is a fantastic little gallery hosting exhibitions from young and local artists. They have a new exhibition almost every week, allowing them to showcase as much Irish art as possible and allowing the public access to art that might not have made it into more renowned gallery spaces. Try hit it on exhibition opening night, which is usually a Thursday.