SEEN
PROJECT NAME 'Seen'
DATE INSTALLED June 2026
ISSUE ADDRESSED Trans visibility, belonging, and the experiences of LGBTQIA+ refugees from Ukraine
COMMISSIONED BY Irish Red Cross
FUNDED BY EU4Health Programme's Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
A COLLABORATION WITH 12 LGBTQIA+ participants from the Irish Red Cross Ukrainian Community Centre
BACKGROUND
SEEN was created to explore what it means to be visible, acknowledged, and accepted. Developed over six months with LGBTQIA+ refugees and displaced people from Ukraine, the project provided a creative space for participants to reflect on identity, belonging, resilience, and community.
Through workshops, gallery visits, conversations, and collaborative design sessions across Dublin, participants shared personal experiences of displacement, self-discovery, and navigating life in a new country. The project was designed as a wellbeing-focused initiative that fostered creativity, connection, and mutual support while amplifying voices that are often underrepresented in public space.
Commissioned by the Irish Red Cross and funded through the EU4Health Programme's Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the artwork seeks to highlight the importance of visibility—not as spectacle, but as recognition, dignity, and belonging.
DESCRIPTION
The 50-foot artwork depicts a young trans man standing upright, his body pierced by arrows that symbolise the prejudice, hostility, and external pressures often directed toward transgender people. Despite these wounds, his steady gaze and composed stance communicate resilience, endurance, and survival.
The portrait emerged from a collaborative design process with twelve LGBTQIA+ participants from the Irish Red Cross Ukrainian Community Centre. While the figure represents no single individual, it embodies themes that repeatedly surfaced throughout the project: the desire to be seen, the search for belonging, and the strength required to remain visible in the face of adversity.
Installed in Dublin City, the artwork invites viewers to consider the experiences of those who are too often overlooked or misunderstood. It is both a reflection of personal stories and a celebration of collective resilience. The title, SEEN, speaks to a universal human need to be recognised, heard, valued, and accepted for who we are.
As with many of Caslin's public works, the drawing uses scale and visibility to create space for conversation. By placing these experiences prominently within the city, the artwork encourages reflection on inclusion, empathy, and the importance of ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to live openly and safely within their community.
One participant involved in the project reflected:
"Working with Joe was a valuable opportunity to explore and express our identities through art. It was a new and meaningful experience for everyone in the group, helping us learn more about the history of the LGBTQIA+ community in Ireland while building a strong sense of connection and belonging with one another."
"Під час зустрічей з Джо було дуже цікаво працювати над розкриттям своей ідентичності шляхом мистецтва. Це бул новий досвід для кожного з учасників групи" "В процесі зустрічей ми більше дізналися про історію лгбтк+ спільноти у Ірландії та смогли відчути єдність між нами"
To purchase a print please follow this link: SEEN - FINE ART PRINT