Exhibition marks anniversary of studio space for artists in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland’s longest running studio space for professional visual artists is celebrating its 40th birthday with an exhibition featuring 61 works from past and present members.

Queen Street Studios (QSS) in Belfast is a home from home for a broad spectrum of visual artists, working across a range of mediums.

The creative area offers artists the privacy and peace of their own studio space, while also being a collective hub for meeting, collaboration and exhibitions.

Past and present members include some of Northern Ireland’s best-known artists and among those featured in the current QSS at 40 exhibition are pieces by Jack Pakenham, Jennifer Trouton, Clement McAleer, Chris Wilson, Rosie McGurran, Amanda Coogan, Dougal McKenzie, Brian Connolly, Sharon Kelly, Mark McGreevy, Joy Gerrard, Gail Ritchie and Ian Cumberland.

Although once based on Queen Street itself, today the studio occupies a large site on Bloomfield Avenue in the east of the city, where the current exhibition will be on display and open to the public until December 12.

The venue is supported by National Lottery funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Running across two floors, the large-scale exhibition showcases the broad range of practices, from emerging and established artists, that have shaped Queen Street Studios.

The studio itself is comprised of 47 self-contained artists’ spaces, ranging in size from 147 sq ft to 744 sq ft.

QSS is also keen to support new and emerging artists and offers a bursary space to a Belfast School of Art graduate each year for 12 months of free studio provision.

Clare McComish, visual arts officer at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “QSS has been at the very centre of visual arts development in Northern Ireland for four decades, a place where artists are nurtured and supported and where they have space to dedicate themselves to their practice.

“It has always been a place where we have seen established artists supporting other emerging artists, as they start to carve their own promising careers for themselves.

“This exhibition is a fitting tribute to QSS, as it was and as it is today, and a reflection of its artists, from its beginnings, to present day who have achieved local, national and international acclaim.”

Exhibition curator Eamonn Maxwell said: “Working on the 40th anniversary show for QSS was a real honour and joy.

“The exhibition celebrates the incredible artists who make the organisation what it is today, whilst celebrating the many artists involved in the history of QSS.

“This is one of the largest exhibitions I’ve ever curated.

“At times it was a challenge to incorporate the work of almost 70 artists in a cohesive way, but I think the quality of the works lent by the artists made that challenge a lot easier.

“I think the exhibition really captures the energy of contemporary art working in Belfast.”