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Northern Irish Art

This research group aims to identify, share and connect multiple strands of research on contemporary and historical Northern Irish art. Our goal is to develop the profile of Northern Irish art practice and scholarship in addition to creating opportunities for curators, artists and researchers.

A contested term in itself, Northern Irish Art is often found on the periphery of wider national discussions on Irish or British art. With Brexit, the centenary of the partition of Ireland, and continued debates around national identity, (de)colonisation and borders, there has never been a more important time to address the rich and complex subject of Northern Irish art.

Within this group, we will address, explore and trouble the ways in which work related to the North of Ireland has been collected, curated and interpreted, and identify gaps in existing knowledge. Largely, but incorrectly, viewed as a place of simplistic binaries, the research group aims to disrupt this notion of Northern Ireland by creating space for conversations around overlooked practices (for example, queer Northern Irish art; art by BAME artists; pre- and post- conflict practices) as well as political and Troubles related art.

Questions under consideration include:

  • Nationally, and internationally, what key areas of research are currently being addressed in relation to Northern Irish art, and how can we broaden the discussion on modern Northern Irish art beyond a narrow focus on the Troubles?
  • What is needed to establish an archival resource of historic exhibitions and actions that have been produced in relation to Northern Irish Art?
  • How are curators and public institutions throughout the UK addressing complex issues of national identity, conflict, borders, partition and (de)colonisation in relation to the research, exhibition and interpretation of Northern Irish work?

The Northern Irish Art Research Group is co-lead by Anna Liesching (Curator of Art, National Museums NI) and Clare Gormley (Head of Programmes and Partnerships, Belfast Photo Festival).

Image of Mary McIntyre's: Aura of Crisis 1998. The photograph shows a ring of empty leather backed chairs arranged in an empty hall.
Mary McIntyre Aura of Crisis 1998 National Museums NI Collection: Ulster Museum © the artist

Contact Information

If you are interested in joining the group, please email [email protected].

Related Research Members

Activity in 2021

The group’s research questions for 2020-21 were:

  • Nationally, and internationally, what key areas of research are currently being addressed in relation to Northern Irish art, and how can we broaden the discussion on modern Northern Irish art beyond a narrow focus on the Troubles?
  • What is needed to establish an archival resource of historic exhibitions and actions that have been produced in relation to Northern Irish Art?
  • How are curators and public institutions throughout the UK addressing complex issues of national identity, conflict, borders, partition and (de)colonisation in relation to the research, exhibition and interpretation of Northern Irish work?

The aim for the inaugural session of the Northern Irish Art Network (19 March 2021) was to establish a membership base and work closely with those individuals in order to ascertain what they want from a research group focused on art of the North of Ireland, using the questions outlined above as a starting point for discussion. It offered researchers the opportunity to take a moment outside of very hectic schedules to reflect on their work, and where they see themselves in this research landscape. The points raised then helped us establish an action plan of activity for the group. Some reflections included:

  • Members want a space for collaboration, connection and partnership (a key an area was linking museums/galleries with academia)
  • A safe space to challenge and explore the complexities of terminology, language and framing of art associated with the North of Ireland
  • A need to create awareness of the diverse range of activity in this area
  • Create legacy for all that has come before, mapping and grounding collections, exhibitions, projects and publications – practical outputs
  • A need to go beyond discussions of the conflict, looking at the expansive and varied history of this place – from the pre-historic to the contemporary
  • Aid institutional change
  • Frame the North of Ireland in an international context and its relationality to other places
  • Facilitate and encourage critical discourse on Northern Irish art on historical and current practice

After collating all this information from members they concluded that in order to fully tackle their needs they needed to create a structure that truly encapsulates this sense of variety whilst giving time to individual areas equally. They established a system of thematic seasons, each period of activity going ahead will take a research theme at its centre and inform a structure of events. The first season (part of this funding period) was ‘Borders and Partition’. Coinciding with the major activities of institutions in the centenary year of the partition of Ireland; in particular a collaboration with the Ulster Museum for the Willie Doherty ‘Where’, an exhibition in collaboration with FMAV, Modena and funded by the British Council. The group also commissioned four films that looked on the themes of borders and the centenary of partition. The convenors interviewed Willie Doherty and Anne Stewart (looking at Doherty’s ‘Where’). Additionally, they interviewed Trish Lambe of the National Gallery of Photography in Dublin to discuss her work around the border and Peter Richards of Golden Thread Gallery Belfast discussing his work.

Clare Gormley and Anna Liesching, January 2022

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Event: Symposium: Northern Ireland’s Feminist and Queer Art Histories

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