An installation by Michael Warren, curated by Helen Carey • Presented by Hillsboro Fine Art and the Office of Public Works

The medieval Chapter House of St Mary’s Abbey has inspired Michael Warren’s sculpture, Pica Pica , an interpretation of Piero della Francesca’s Nativity c. 1470 (National Gallery, London), where five angels sing over the infant Jesus: besides Mary & Joseph and two shepherds, the Italian’s masterpiece shows a braying donkey, a cow and, very intriguingly, a magpie on the stable roof – what does the magpie represent?

While directly addressing this question, Warren’s sculpture reflects the ribbed vaulted roof and stark beauty of the Cistercian Abbey (founded in 1137). The drama he creates unfolds under the gentle gaze of a large 14th-century statue of the Madonna known as Our Lady of Dublin and located in an alcove of the small Chapter House. The beauty, simplicity and contemplative power of the sculpture are clear.

St. Mary’s Abbey off Capel Street, Dublin 1, near the Boars Head Pub