The aim of the exhibition was not just to show Pete Dunne’s work, but to create an experience that helped people get to know him — his voice, his thinking and the worlds he moved through beyond the canvas.
The exhibition unfolded across several spaces. Two large rooms formed the core of the show: one focused on the political aspects of Pete’s work, exploring themes of power, protest and social commentary, while the other centred on Irish landscapes and characters rooted in place, memory and storytelling. This space was brought to life with live performances by contemporary Irish traditional musicians, adding sound and atmosphere to the viewing experience.
Alongside these galleries were two smaller, more intimate installations. In the Head of Pete, housed in a converted horse box, invited visitors to manually operate a slide projector showing early works, accompanied by audio of Pete performing as his alter ego, Jean Pierre Murphy — a character developed during his time hosting a late-night pirate radio show in the south of Spain in the 1990s. A second space, In Bed With Pete, was a quiet, welcoming caravan where audiences could sit, have a drink and spend time with his sketchbooks, notes and writings.
Together, the exhibition moved beyond a traditional retrospective, offering a more personal encounter with Pete Dunne — not only through his work, but through his ideas, humour and creative process.
Gilly Kelly Dunne
