Belfast Exposed is a photography gallery in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, established in 1983. It was

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

's first dedicated photographic gallery and in 2018

Sean O'Hagan Sean O'Hagan (born 1959) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and arranger who leads the avant-pop band the High Llamas, which he founded in 1992. He is also known for being one half of the songwriting duo (with Cathal Coughlan) in Microdisney and ...

in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described it as "the key independent space for contemporary photography" there. Belfast Exposed houses a 20×7 m gallery for the exhibition of contemporary

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...

, digital archive browsing facilities, a spacious black and white photographic darkroom and a digital editing suite in its Donegall Street premises. It was established "to challenge and subvert media representations of the Troubles-torn city". The gallery has focused on the production of socially and politically engaged work, the development and exhibition of community photography. Training is used to encourage local communities to use photography to record and understand their environment. Belfast Exposed hosts an archive of half a million

images An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...

, which were to be published online in a digital archive by March 2004. The gallery is used as a venue during both the

Belfast Film Festival The Belfast Film Festival is Northern Ireland's largest film festival, attracting over 25,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1995, the festival has grown to include the Docs Ireland international documentary festival, as well as an Audi ...

and the

Belfast Festival at Queen's Belfast International Arts Festival, formerly known as Belfast Festival at Queen’s, claims to be the city’s longest running international arts event. Originally established in 1962, it was hosted by Queen’s University until 2015, after whi ...

References

External links

* Culture in Belfast Buildings and structures in Belfast Art museums and galleries in Northern Ireland Photography museums and galleries in Northern Ireland Tourist attractions in Belfast Art galleries established in 1983 1983 establishments in Northern Ireland {{UK-art-display-stub