The IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) and the National Transport Authority (NTA) , under its Transport for Ireland (TFI) brand, are excited to announce a new partnership that will bring an inspiring mobile artwork directly into the daily journeys of Dubliners.
Art in Motion: Roots and Routes
Art in Motion: Roots and Routes is a creation by artist Alberta Whittle, developed in collaboration with poet Dagogo Hart and community writers group Fatima Groups United’s The Poetry Vigilantes.
Together, they have created a vibrant artwork that will wrap one of TFI’s buses, transforming the familiar public transport vehicle into a moving canvas.
Bringing Art to Dublin’s Streets
Launching this summer, the Art in Motion: Roots and Routes bus will operate across the TFI network in Dublin, bringing a burst of creativity to the capital. Each day, thousands of passengers and many more who see the bus along the network will encounter art in a fresh and unexpected way. This collaboration makes contemporary art a visible and accessible part of the city’s daily movement, reaching communities throughout Dublin.
Community Collaboration and Creative Process
Developed through a series of poetry workshops, the bus artwork is inspired by themes explored in Fisherwoman, Fisherwoman, an exhibition currently on show at IMMA. The exhibition combines the work of contemporary artist Alberta Whittle (b. 1980) and renowned painter Camille Souter (1929–2023). During the workshops, led by Whittle and Hart, participants from The Poetry Vigilantes composed original poetry responding to the exhibition and their own lived experiences. These poetic fragments will appear across the bus wrap artwork, celebrating community voices and the power of poetry and art to connect and inspire.
NTA & IMMA Perspectives
Speaking on the partnership announcement, Anne Shaw, CEO of the NTA, said: “Transport for Ireland is delighted to work with IMMA to bring this inspiring project onto our network, where art can meet people as part of their everyday journeys. The TFI network connects communities across Dublin, and this collaboration shows how public transport can also connect us through creativity, culture and shared experience.”
Annie Fletcher, Director of IMMA, said: “IMMA is thrilled to partner with NTA’s Transport for Ireland brand. This exciting partnership is a Radically Public gesture that invites everyone, wherever they are, to engage with creativity in their daily lives. It’s a powerful meeting point between public infrastructure, artistic vision and community spirit.”
Expanding Access to Contemporary Art
Art in Motion: Roots and Routes underscores IMMA’s commitment to expanding access to art and connecting with audiences beyond the Museum’s walls. Through this collaboration with Transport for Ireland, contemporary art becomes woven into the city’s everyday rhythm, bringing colour, language, and imagination to the streets of Dublin.
Additional Information
About Alberta Whittle
B. 1980; Bridgetown Barbados; lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland. Barbadian-Scottish. Whittle’s multifaceted practice is preoccupied with developing a personal response to the legacies of the Atlantic slave trade, unpicking its connections to institutional racism, white supremacy and climate emergency in the present. Against an oppressive political background Whittle aims to foreground hope and engage with different forms of resistance. Whittle received her MFA from the Glasgow School of Art (2011); PhD at the University of Edinburgh (2024); and is currently a Research Associate at The University of Johannesburg. She has exhibited and performed in various solo and group shows internationally and represented Scotland in the 59th Venice Biennale (2022). She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Margaret Tait Award winner (2018/19); a Turner Bursary, Frieze Artist Award and Henry Moore Foundation Artist Award (2020); and Paul Hamlyn Award for Artists (2022).
About Dagogo Hart
Dagogo Hart is a Nigerian-Irish writer, poet, and theatre-maker based in Ireland. His work spans poetry, theatre, film, and education – rooted in performance but designed to resonate beyond the stage. He has featured on everything from TV to film and bar basements, led poetry workshops and showcases across Ireland and West Africa, and is author of Lantern Smoke, 2025, a children’s book with Gill Books. His acclaimed play MMANWU explores grief and cultural identity, while his new play PALMFIST continues his powerful interrogation of masculinity, violence, and vulnerability. Hart is also co-founder of WeAreGriot, a collection committed to platforming Black Irish voices through performance poetry, storytelling, and collaboration.
About Fatima Groups United
Fatima Groups United Family Resource Centre represents residents and community projects in Fatima and Herberton, Dublin 8. Since 1995, FGU has supported the physical and social regeneration of the area. FGU provides services in health, wellbeing, education, employment, arts, childcare, counselling, family support, information, advice, and advocacy. Fatima Poetry Vigilantes is a poetry group organised by Fatima Groups United. They won the Creative Lives Ireland Award in 2022 for Dance Til Dán – a film celebrating community through poetry and dance. They organise frequent Poetry Cafés and Poetry Trains.
About NTA/TFI
The National Transport Authority is a statutory non-commercial body, which operates under the aegis of the Department of Transport. Established in 2009, the NTA’s core function is around the planning, development and funding of sustainable transport modes – public transport and active travel – on a national basis. NTA’s remit also extends to the regulation of commercial bus services, as well as the Small Public Service Vehicle (SPSV) sector and vehicle clamping.
Transport for Ireland (TFI) is the public-facing brand of the NTA, used to deliver and promote Ireland’s integrated public transport network across bus, rail, Luas and active travel services.
About IMMA
Founded in 1991, IMMA is Ireland’s National Cultural Institution for Modern and Contemporary Art located in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Its vibrant, bold, and diverse programme comprises exhibitions, commissions, and event-based projects by leading Irish and international artists, as well as a rich engagement and learning programme which together provides audiences of all ages the opportunity to connect with contemporary art and unlock their creativity. IMMA is also the home of the National Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art of over 4,700 artworks by Irish and international artists. IMMA makes this national resource available through exhibitions at IMMA and other venues nationally and internationally, engagement and learning programmes and digital resources. imma.ie