Dave Hayes is a visual artist based in Dublin, working with assemblage and found objects. Hayes is drawn to objects that already have a presence and history of their own.

He works in response to what he finds, introducing other materials or making interventions that shift how an object is encountered without disguising what it once was. A worn shoe sole becomes a surface for text. Rose thorns give a woodworking plane bite.

Transformation matters in the work, but so does restraint. He is interested in how little is required to move something familiar into less certain territory. The original object remains recognisable, while its function and associations begin to change. That shift can produce beauty or tension, and often both.

The work develops through close attention to materials and through decisions about colour, weight and balance. Finding is not limited to gathering objects. It continues in the studio as each piece takes shape through making, testing and revision.

He studied Fine Art Sculpture at the National College of Art and Design, graduating in 1998, and completed an MFA in Art in the Digital World at NCAD in 2004. He subsequently worked in film and documentary production before moving into digital media and advertising. In 2026, he re-established his independent studio practice.