Exhibitions Policy

The Belfast Exposed Exhibition Programme aims to support the development and presentation of socially engaged forms of contemporary photographic practice. We commission and support the development of new work by artists working in Northern Ireland and internationally. We work collaboratively with artists, researchers and local community development workers in generating visual comment on different aspects of contemporary life. We work in partnership and exchange with artists, visuals arts institutions and publishers locally and internationally.

To sustain its exhibition programme Belfast Exposed plans to build on project development approaches and models that have been cultivated to date through consultative and collaborative methods. There are a number of working models currently in use in the gallery programme that we would like to further develop and apply to future projects.

The main emphasis of the gallery programme to date has been the development of new work. Belfast Exposed has either commissioned an artist to produce new work through residency in Belfast or has supported the development and production of a project already being undertaken by an artist.

Examples of new work commissions are:
Trees From Germany by Belfast based artist John Duncan (2003)
Archive_Belfast by German artist Claudio Hils (2004)
Archive: Lisburn Road by Belfast based artists Ursula Burke and Daniel Jewesbury (2004)
Teenagers, Belfast by UK based, South African artist Michelle Sank (2005)

Examples of support for artists with projects under development are:
The Maze by UK based, Northern Irish artist Donovan Wylie (2004)
Three Projects by UK based, Northern Irish artist Gareth McConnell (2004)
The Examination Room by Scottish artist Catriona Grant (2005)
The Breathing Factory by Irish artist Mark Curran (2006)

Belfast Exposed has also worked collaboratively with artists, curators, researchers, institutions and the public on the development of new projects.
Examples of collaborative projects include:
Archive_Belfast (2004)
Belfast Exposed facilitated access for the artist to the following institutions; Ballymacarrett Arts & Culture Society, Cobra Estates, Belfast Central Library, Belfast City Hall, Clonard Monastery, Ex-Prisoners Assistance Committee, Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, Linenhall Library, Irish Republican History Museum, People’s Museum at Fernhill House, Public Records Office NI, Museums Council NI, Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross Historical Society, Police Service of Northern Ireland (Knocknagoney and Musgrave Street) and the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Beyond The Family Album and Other Projects (2005)
Belfast Exposed worked with the Jo Spence Memorial Archive on producing a major retrospective of work on domestic photography by Jo Spence.

Portraits From A 50s Archive (2005)
Belfast Exposed worked with 12 Belfast based senior citizens, 3 researcher/academics an artist and an oral historian on the development of these project through a series of workshops and discussions.

The English in Northern Ireland (2005)
This project was co-curated by BX and Factotum, winners of the Paul Hamlyn Visual Arts Award 2006,

Migrations (2006)
Working with artists, academics and migrant support groups, Migrations is part of a multi-stranded project being developed by Belfast Exposed exploring different experiences of migration. The exhibition features major works on the subject of migration by well-known, contemporary artists and researchers; Anthony Haughey, Andrea Lange, Breda Beban, Penny Siopis and Terence Wright. A programme of screenings, discussions, talks and workshops considering specifically the 'visibility' of migrant identity and experience in Northern Ireland will run throughout September.

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