About The Exhibition
Belfast Exposed is delighted to be showcasing Tripwire Timeline. 1970-1988 (A Belfast Tale), an autobiographical exhibition of work by mixed media artist Dameon Priestly.
After many years of avoiding telling his ‘Belfast Tale’, worried that it would be judged in some way as exploiting real life stories and tragedies, Dameon has eventually created a series of works based on first and second-hand experiences and memories documented in his childhood diaries.
As Dameon himself explains “there are plenty of fabulous photographers, filmmakers, writers, poets, journalists and musicians who have told their story of growing up in the Northern Irish conflict. However, there are precious few artists or painters of note out there who have approached this subject, certainly in respect to sharing their own stories, experiences or feelings from a first person approach. I am not actually sure if it’s been done before on this scale”.
Drawing on his own memories and events in his life and combining them with extensive research of the ‘Troubles’, Dameon has produced 12 collage pieces looking at specific years; story boarding what happened with elements of his own life. Alongside the collages there are 10 paintings (3ft x 3ft) which distil an event or memory down to its concentrated essence. Within the works Dameon has also included lyrics from a song of that year.
These artworks are deeply personal to Dameon; they nonetheless do not alienate the viewer, regardless of their own personal experiences growing up, or indeed their knowledge of Belfast’s complex history. The hook of the song lyric or a naive childhood comment in the form of a diary account, lulls the unwitting viewer into a place of familiarity and comfort before waking them up sharply with the realisation that all is not well in the picture and the story being told.
The Artists
Dameon Priestly
Born in 1966, Dameon Priestly grew up in Belfast during the ‘Troubles’, a constant backdrop to the unpredictable theatre of life during those years. This autobiographical collection of artworks looks at Dameon’s life, aged 4 years old to 22 years old.
From an early age Dameon says he knew he was destined to be an artist. Over the past 27 years his work has looked at many social injustices and cultural movements born of societal upheaval, and occasionally creativity from chaos.
Currently living in Kent after 26 years in London, Dameon is excited to present this show in his hometown of Belfast.