Author: Irene Fitzgerald

We are delighted to have our birthday celebrations featured on the Arts Council NI website! This feature includes interviews with three of our studio members (Reuben Brown, Gerry Devlin and Jennifer Trouton), all currently showing in our ‘We are QSS at 40’ exhibition (continues until 12th December 2024). Clare McComish, Visual Arts Officer at the…

As part of our 40th anniversary programme, we invited artist and lecturer Louise Wallace from the Belfast School of Art to facilitate peer-critique sessions at QSS. Our inaugural session was held on 31st October, featuring discussions on topics such as: We extend our heartfelt thanks to Louise for a stimulating first session, joined by Alana…

Ten of our talented studio holders are currently showcasing their work in the Royal Ulster Academy’s 143rd Annual Exhibition, open at the Ulster Museum until January 6th, 2025. Among them are Alana Barton, Majella Clancy, Pauline Clancy, and Ashley Holmes, alongside Academy members Ian Cumberland, Angela Hackett, Sharon Kelly, Clement McAleer, Anushiya Sundaralingam, and Jennifer…

Tappi Odu (Flee), a new and evocative installation by Anushiya Sundaralingam (supported by The National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland) is available to view at the Ulster Museum until 15th December 2024. The installation reflects on the collective experiences of the Tamil diaspora and the universal human condition of displacement. With nearly…

QSS artist Amanda Coogan premieres a new and exciting, live durational performance at the Rua Red Gallery next week (16th, 17th and 18th September), marking the final days of her exhibition ‘They Come Then, The Birds’. The performances, which have been created in collaboration with the Dublin Theatre of the Deaf, create a rich immersive…

WATCH Joy Gerrard share the process behind her latest work, Precarious Freedom: Crowds, Flags, Barriers on exhibit at Galway International Arts Festival until 18 September 2021. Tickets can be booked to visit the gallery here: https://www.giaf.ie/…/joy-gerrard-precarious-freedom…   This exhibition was curated by Aoife Ruane, with special thanks to the Highlanes Drogheda and Butler Gallery as touring…

QSS Studios & Gallery seek to recruit an experienced, part-time ‘Membership & Development Officer’ who will be based in their office at Bloomfield Avenue, Belfast. Following some internal restructuring to divide responsibilities, this post will be funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) and will be renewed annually subject to funding being available.…

Jennifer Trouton RUA’s ‘Mater Natura: The Abortionist’s Garden’, has joined the National Collection at Crawford Art Gallery. Trouton spoke with the Crawford Art Gallery about this work earlier in the year and what the purchase meant to her: “‘Mater Natura: The Abortionist’s Garden’ forms part of a larger body of work entitled ‘One of Many’:…

QSS invite applications for two studio sublets, one for 12 months (Studio 26 – available from 3rd August 2021) and one for 6 months (Studio 25 – available from 1st September 2021). Our studios are located on the second floor of The Arches Centre, 11-13 Bloomfield Avenue, Belfast, BT5 5AA and are accessible during the…

Belfast’s Array Collective has recently been nominated for the 2021 Turner Prize.  The collective includes Sighle Bhreathnach-Cashell, Sinead Bhreathnach-Cashell, Jane Butler , Emma Campbell, Alessia Cargnelli, Mitch Conlon, Clodagh Lavelle, Grace McMurray [QSS], Stephen Millar, Laura O’Connor and Thomas Wells. These artists join together to create collaborative actions in response to the sociopolitical issues affecting Northern…

Congratulation to QSS artist Amanda Coogan on the purchase of ‘YELLOW’ for the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s collection. In October 2020, the Irish Government committed €1m to IMMA and the Crawford Art Gallery to fund the purchase of artworks by artists living and/or working on the island of Ireland. This investment enabled the two…