Belfast Exposed Photography Gallery

03/06/2026

Also opening tomorrow (Thursday June 4th) is ‘Beneath the Surface’, the new show of work from graduates of the programme at

The exhibition reflects the ambition, criticality and creative experimentation fostered through the MFA Photography programme and offers audiences an opportunity to engage with a wide range of contemporary photographic practices emerging from Northern Ireland today.

Bringing together the work of nine talented individuals, we are delighted to once again be the gallery partner for this showcase exhibition.

Even better news is that this work will grace our upstairs gallery walls for a full two month run so you’ve plenty of time to see it.

Of course, if you can, we’d love to see you for tomorrow from 6-9pm.

Full details in the What’s On section of our website.

03/06/2026

We were delighted and privileged to facilitate a panel event at Parliament Buildings earlier this week.

Local artist and activist brought together panellists and guests with lived experience of what it is to come from elsewhere and make Northern Ireland their home.

It was great to hear from both and Andy George of the PSNI and NBPA about their own sense of belonging here.

It was beneficial to all in the room to hear from audience members with similar, yet different, but always personal and very real stories of their own experiences.

This event ‘First They Ignore You’ took place in response to the launch of Sheila’s own photobook of the same name, available in our store and online.

The event was generously supported by

30/05/2026

Lunchtime Panel Event, this Monday at Stormont

We are delighted to present 'First They Ignore You', a panel discussion that has been proudly supported by Migrant Help UK.

Bringing together artist and activist Sheila Chakravarti, former refugee Sipho Sibanda, and President of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) in the UK, Andy George, a serving officer with the PSNI.

This free event will provide the opportunity to hear their lived experiences of life in Northern Ireland as someone who has chosen our wee country as their home.

We would encourage anyone, especially those from migrant communities (as in have come from somewhere else) to make their voices heard and join us on Monday.

Monday, June 1st at 12:30-2pm
Parliament Buildings, Stormont
Free to attend

Further details on our website, we encourage pre-registration to guarantee a seat.

28/05/2026

Join us at Stormont Parliament Buildings, in the Long Gallery, on Monday 1st June, 12.30pm to listen to people who have come from different countries to make Northern Ireland their home, including Sheila Chakravarti, Andy George & Sipho Sibanda.

🎟️Book your free ticket:
https://www.belfastexposed.org/whats-on/panel-discussion-first-they-ignore-you/

Global majority people experience racism in Northern Ireland. If you have not experienced this it will not be prominent in your thoughts. However, increasingly, it is becoming an issue in Northern Ireland. This is an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of how racism impacts our lives, and to consider the issues at stake without blame or accusations.

At a time when discourse around this issue becomes increasingly polarised, informed policy, and law made and enacted with understanding becomes increasingly important.

Join us at Stormont Parliament Buildings, in the Long Gallery, on Monday 1st June, 12.30pm to listen to people who have come from different countries to make

21/05/2026

The BIEN Project, in partnership with the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Expression, finishes on Saturday, bringing to an end an engaging and enlightening series of exhibitions and events that has allowed us to explore the significance of identity in Northern Ireland.

As part of that events programme we welcomed acclaimed flautists Aisling Agnew and Andrew Douglas, to showcase the versatility of the instrument, including its prevalence in folk and popular culture.

Andrew plays with the Ulster Orchestra and Aisling is the artistic director of the Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble and host of The Flute NI podcast.

Our three current exhibitions as part of BIEN (British? Irish? Either? Neither?) finish this Saturday, 23rd May. We are open tomorrow and Saturday 11am-5pm.

20/05/2026

We pride ourselves on providing a platform on which we can champion the world class work of local and home grown talent.

The BIEN Project (British? Irish? Either? Neither?) has given us the opportunity to showcase 16 local artists in the one space.

As part of this project, in collaboration with the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Expression, we had two solo shows and one group show.

One of the solo shows was from Rebecca Brownlie, the passionate photographer behind

Another of our BIEN programme events had Rebecca in conversation with our CEO .

We loved to see the interaction with the audience as we learned more about Rebecca’s work and what keeps driving her to document the crumbling remnants of our built environment.

The work of Rebecca and our other artists are all on display until Saturday. We are open 11am-5pm.

19/05/2026

As we enter the last week of our three exhibitions, we will look back on the events that also formed the BIEN Project, in partnership with principal funder the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Expression.

We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of music by , an Antrim-based performer who ties her lyrics to the land that she knows and loves.

As part of the same event we heard from Lee Reynolds, the Commissary o Ulstèr-Scotch and Ulstèr-Bïtisch Heirskip.

We have relished the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the cultural richness of our wee corner of the world.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit and see the work on display, the two solo exhibitions (from and ) and our group show ‘In Their Own Image’ all finish on Saturday.

More details on our website.

11/05/2026

🚨 x2 BIEN Events this Week! 🚨

We are looking forward to the last two events in our BIEN programme, as we approach the final weeks of our exhibition run in partnership with the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Expression.

Tomorrow (Tuesday 12th) at 1pm is A Heirskip o Sang, a recital by Lisa Dawson, a musician from North Antrim who composes songs inspired by the rural scenes of Northern Ireland where she grew up.

Lisa will be introduced by, and will chat with Lee Reynolds, the Commissary o Ulstèr-Scotch and Ulstèr-Bïtisch Heirskip.

Then on Thursday (May 14th) will be our final event from this project series and it will be a unique opportunity to hear from three (yes, three!) of our current exhibiting artists, mere days from the closing of the exhibitions.

Enjoy a panel discussion with artists Donovan Wylie, Iollann Ó Murchú and Rebecca Brownlie before enjoying their art on the walls, or perhaps you’ve already seen it 🤷🏻‍♂️ so you can do another lap!

Iollan and Rebecca have solo shows and Donovan is part of our wonderful group show, ‘In Their Own Image’.

Don’t miss either of these events, both will take place at 1pm and are free to attend. More info on our website.

Our continued thanks to the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Expression for funding and co-creating the British? Irish? Either? Neither? (BIEN) Project. We hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.

07/05/2026

🚨 BIEN Event Tomorrow 🚨

As part of our BIEN programme of cultural events, supporting the three exhibitions of photography currently on display in our galleries, we are delighted to host this recording of the My Identity podcast.

This event will be a conversation, hosted by Professor Colin Graham, with artists Joy Gerrard and Paul Seawright.

It is part of ‘My Identity’ Podcast, hosted by Professor Colin Graham and produced by Dr Susie Deedigan.

ARINS (Analysing and Researching Ireland North and South) produces authoritative, non-partisan research and is a joint initiative of the University of Notre Dame and the Royal Irish Academy, for more information visit: arinsproject.com.

Colin Graham is Professor of English and was formerly Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies, and Philosophy at Maynooth University.

As with all our BIEN Project events, this is free to attend and will start at 1pm tomorrow (Friday).

We remain eternally grateful to the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Expression for funding and co-creating this wonderful programme, allowing us all to explore what identity means in Northern Ireland to those who call it home.

For more information, visit our website.