The Complex closure is a symptom of no infrastructure strategy for the arts
The Complex closure is a symptom of no infrastructure strategy for the arts - The Labour Party
Labour Party Culture Spokesperson Deputy Rob O’Donoghue has struck out against the lack of artistic and cultural infrastructure funding which made the closure of The Complex inevitable.
Deputy O’Donoghue said:
“Events like the closure of The Complex are no longer unexpected or sudden. Despite the massive groundswell of support gathered to save The Complex, what we see here is unfortunately what we have come to expect of our cultural and artistic spaces in Dublin and across the country.
“I welcome the efforts of the Arts Council, Dublin City Council, and other stakeholders to provide funding to ensure that artists and stakeholders can continue to operate within The Complex for the remainder of 2026, but this is part of the problem. Bodies like the Arts Council can only work and fund within the means they are given. They have no infrastructure or capital budget, something which was repeatedly highlighted to the Government during pre-budget negotiations last year.
“If we want to preserve the existing cultural spaces we have left and cultivate new ones, state bodies, like the Arts Council, need the capital funding to do so. We cannot be satisfied as the Government doles out project funding without long-term investment and planning to back it up. We are paying for performances, but we are not paying for venues.
“I am calling on Minister O’Donovan to ensure that greater funding and provision is given to arts venue capital funding and to kickstart a national arts infrastructure strategy, which was sorely missed in Budget 2026.”