18:30
Friday 20 November in Belfast
Belfast times. Last refreshed Sat 11:03.
Showing Exhibitions only.
Friday 20 November 13 listings
Tonight 1
Ongoing 12
Until30 Nov
‘Art of the Possible’
Over the past decade, the Ulster Museum has collected a significant number of important artworks from around the world—many of which have never been seen by the public until now. Art of the Possible features over 40 artworks made from glass, ceramics, silver, metalwork, jewellery, and wood. These works were created by some of the most talented and important artists and designers working in these materials today.
FreeTickets & info
Until3 Jan
145th Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition
Until3 Jan
Craft NI Showcase @ RUA 2026
Craft NI are delighted to be invited back for a second year to present a Guest Showcase at RUA’s 145th Annual Exhibition! The Royal Ulster Academy of Arts (RUA) returns to the Ulster Museum this autumn for its 145th Annual Exhibition, bringing together around 350 works by artists from Northern Ireland, across Ireland and further afield. Craft NI will present a guest showcase within the exhibition, bringing together a curated selection of contemporary craft works spanning various disciplines such as ceramics, glass, jewellery, textiles, metalwork and furniture. The showcase brings together works that explore new, contemporary interpretations of the natural colours of the Irish landscape: from bespoke furniture and blown glass to silversmithing, ceramics and handcrafted jewellery, the works sit in conversation with one another, creating a shared canvas of the local landscape and its influence on the makers. Participating designer-makers include Adam Frew, Andrea Spencer, Anima Roos, Anna Smyth, Cara Murphy (RUA Academician), Carla Pennie McBride, Céline Traynor, Joanne Lamb, John Piekaar, Mark Hanvey, Matthew Chambers, Rauni Higson, Sarah Cathers, Scott Benefield, Seliena Coyle and Shauna McCann. The showcase highlights the breadth and vitality of the local craft sector, with an emphasis on the quality, creativity and technical skill evident in the work of NI designer-makers.
FreeVenue listing
Until6 Dec
The Earth is the First Body Exhibition
The Earth is the First Body: an Exhibition by Botanic Gardens Artist-in-Residence Kerrie Hanna The Earth is the First Body is a new exhibition by artist Kerrie Hanna, created during her residency at Botanic Gardens. Using inks, pigments and charcoal made from plants growing in the Gardens, Kerrie has explored the stories, history and living landscape of this unique place. The exhibition looks at the Gardens' past, including the movement of plants around the world during Victorian times, while also highlighting the important work of protecting plants and biodiversity today. Through stained glass and other artworks, The Earth is the First Body invites us to think about our connection to the natural world and our role in caring for it. Join us for the exhibition opening event and be among the first to see the work. The exhibition officially opens to the public on 24 October and runs until 6 December.
FreeVenue listing
Until31 Dec
Bernat Klein: Influence & Inspiration
Craft NI Gallery in partnership with Future Island-Island, Belfast School of Art, Live Borders Museums & Galleries and The Bernat Klein Foundation, is delighted to present a capsule exhibition of selected work that shares the legacy of Bernat Klein (1922 – 2014), textile designer and manufacturer, artist and colourist. Colour connects every aspect of Klein’s creative practice that lasted a lifetime. Whether in his innovation of 1960s couture mohair tweeds or printed textiles, or evident in his work as an artist and colourist. Klein encompassed the importance of place in exploring his visual language of colour and texture. There will also be a sister exhibition (details to follow) at Belfast School of Art and a symposium in November. Both exhibitions illustrate Klein’s influence across design, architecture, visual arts, as well as his significant creative and cultural contribution to Scotland. Original archive pieces give context to the work of contemporary practitioners who have been inspired by The Klein legacy, and which still holds relevance today. Who was Bernat Klein? Serbian born designer Bernat Klein (1922 – 2014) emigrated to the UK in the post-war period and based his textile manufacturing business in the Scottish Borders (1951 – 1992). In a career spanning six decades, Klein found international success in the interlarded spheres of visual arts, fashion, textiles design, architecture, industrial design, and colour consultancy. He sold couture fabrics to leading couriers such as Chanel and Dior, gained recognition in Scandinavia and North America, and realised two important buildings with modernist architect Peter Womersley (1923 – 1993).
Until30 Dec
Big Bauble Showcase
An annual staple at Craft NI Gallery during the festive season, the Big Bauble Showcase features a wide selection of limited ranges and one-off baubles all handcrafted to a high standard by local designer-makers in porcelain, felt, enamel, textiles or hand blown glass. The event is a highlight for visitors who come back each year to add to their collection. Stop by to admire the skills of local makers and pick up a meaningful gift!
FreeVenue listing
Until31 Jan
The Gift
The Gift, Craft NI Gallery’s annual Christmas selling exhibition, opens November 5th! Join us for a festive opening night on November 5th, 6 – 9pm (Late Night Art Belfast) to see the latest creations of local designer-makers and a chance to meet some of them in person! Celebrating the creativity and craftsmanship of local makers, the exhibition brings together a thoughtfully curated collection of unique, handcrafted gifts, from contemporary jewellery and ceramics to textiles, woodwork and much more. Whether you’re searching for a special gift for a loved one or something to treasure yourself for years to come, discover one-of-a-kind pieces made by talented makers right here on our doorstep. Participating makers: Abbie Dixon, Aisling Higgins, Anna Smyth, Fiona Kerr, Hugh Cummins, Inga Reed, Janice Gilmore, Jill Phillips, Marlene McKibbin, Martin Cameron, Mary Chris, Natasha Heaslip, Nichola Dalton, Rory Shearer, Sarah Elliott, Seamus Gill, Ursula McGivern. The exhibition runs until January 31st, 2027.
FreeTickets & info
Until28 Nov
Class of 76: Fifty Years of Art
Celebrate 50 years of creativity with the Class of ’76, a group of artists who graduated from Belfast School of Art in 1976. Explore an exciting exhibition of paintings, drawings, photography, ceramics and conceptual art, organised by John Rubery. Showcasing the diverse and unexpected journeys of a generation of artists.
Until13 Feb
THE PERFECT STORM Ralf Sander
Launch : Saturday 14th November 1pm-3pm Dates : 14th November – 13th February 2027 Gallery : Upper Gallery & Lower Gallery Artist Talk : 20th November (TBC) Ralf Sander’s largest solo exhibition in Northern Ireland to date, this exhibition brings together sculpture, photography, sound, film and satellite data to examine how images shape our understanding of reality. A “perfect storm” describes a rare and powerful convergence of events. Sander uses this idea to consider the forces that shape how we see the world, and our capacity to influence them. Sander turns satellite imagery and weather data, tools normally used to observe the Earth, into an artistic medium. Treating the satellite as a camera, he transforms scientific information into another way of seeing the world. The resulting installation creates an illusion through photography, digital imagery and sculpture. It invites us to consider whether every photograph is, in some sense, an illusion: not reality itself, but one version of it. The work asks how this constructed reality differs from the reality we experience in everyday life. The exhibition builds on Sander’s long-standing interest in testing the possibilities of sculpture across different materials and media. His work has been exhibited internationally, and he has also initiated and curated exhibitions and art projects. The exhibition reflects Golden Thread Gallery’s continuing commitment to ambitious and critically engaged contemporary art. It extends the gallery’s programme beyond historical enquiry to address wider questions of perception and representation, and the role visual culture plays in shaping our shared understanding of the world. About the Artist Born in December 1963, Ralf Sander is an internationally active sculptor and conceptual artist. His practice ranges from large-scale public monuments and figurative sculptures carved from single tree trunks to experimental projects that connect art and science. Sander has exhibited worldwide, in internationally acclaimed locations such as Bonner Kunsthalle, Museum of Art Stuttgart, Haus der Kunst Munich, Philadelphia Museum, Nowisibirsk Museum of Art and Seoul MoA. Sander is a Reader in Fine Art at the Belfast School of Art , Ulster University. Originally from Berlin, he is now based in Islandmagee, Northern Ireland. Accessibility The Lower Gallery is accessed via the ground floor, which is step-free. The Upper Gallery is accessed via wheelchair accessible lift or by the stairwell. Large print versions of exhibition texts are available. Access videos of the gallery are available on our website here , with BSL and ISL signed versions. Please let us know if you have any questions or additional requirements, we are working hard to make the gallery as accessible as possible for everyone. Golden Thread Gallery is proud to hold an Arts & Disability Access Award Venue Accreditation. Golden Thread Gallery is supported by:
Open
20 Years of Outburst at The Black Box
A photography exhibition from Outburst's archive of twenty years of festival nights at the Black Box, in the Green Room through the festival. Opening times vary with events in the space.
Open
Tenderly Queer: Connections of Queer Artists in Northern Ireland and Myanmar
Photographs from a collaboration between queer photographers in Myanmar and Northern Ireland, led by Ri and Emma Campbell. Open Monday to Saturday, about 09:30 to 17:30. Free.
FreeVenue listing
Open
Unruly Ordinances
Details Outburst Arts and the MAC proudly present Unruly Ordinances, a major group exhibition of queer artists from the last two decades. Collectively curated through conversations on queer practice between Outburst collaborators Dayna Ash, Eoin Dara, Haven for Artists, Laima Kreivytė, Kim McAleese, Ruth McCarthy, Iarlaith Ní Fheorais, Monica Pearl and Lyónn Wolf, this selection of installation, sculptural, drawing, photographic and video works opens up expansive and radical conversations on queerness, embracing all of its dissident and tender potential. From newly commissioned works that playfully disrupt thinking on archiving and remembering; to reflections on land, language and material conditions, Unruly Ordinances recentres queer as a generative, slippery, critical and unfixed thing, inciting imagination and catalysing daring possibility. Launching as part of the 20th annual Outburst Queer Arts Festival on November 12, the exhibition will be accompanied by a dynamic three-month public programme, bringing together artists, activists, academics and audiences through talks, screenings, publishing, performances and workshops Artists Array Collective Kian Benson Bailes A.Mac Giolla Bhríde Reuben Brown Batool Desouky Sarah Joy Ford Caoimhín Gaffney Agnė Jokšė Breda Lynch Ebun Sodipo Eimear Walshe Lyónn Wolf Supported by The Ampersand Foundation w ith additional support from Paul Hamlyn Foundation Art Fund and Lithuanian Cultural Institute.
FreeTickets & info