Lyons launches photography exhibition exploring identity, belonging, and cultural heritage
Date published:
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has launched a landmark photography exhibition exploring identity, belonging, and cultural heritage in Northern Ireland at the Belfast Exposed gallery.
The BIEN (British? Irish? Either? Neither?) programme of exhibitions at the Belfast Exposed gallery has been developed in partnership with the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression (OICE).
OICE and Belfast Exposed will deliver an accompanying programme of readings, performances and talks.
The Minister said:
“I am pleased to launch this exhibition today. Photography is an art form that has a unique role to play in how communities, identity and culture is recorded.
“These three interconnected exhibitions provide us with an opportunity to bring together a diverse range of artists and subjects all of whom are proud to call Northern Ireland home.
“This is exactly the kind of initiative that enables us to celebrate together the diversity that makes Northern Ireland a welcoming place for everyone. I encourage everyone to come along and see it for themselves.”
Dr Katy Radford, Director of the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression said:
“The Office is delighted to work with others who see culture and heritage as ways to celebrate being from Northern Ireland. We exist to promote a positive sense of belonging and community cohesion providing opportunities to celebrate together, in an open and respectful manner.”
Deirdre Robb, Chief Executive of Belfast Exposed, added:
“For over forty years Belfast Exposed has created a space where photography can explore the social and cultural realities of Northern Ireland. BIEN continues that tradition by bringing together artists whose work reflects the diversity of identities that shape our society today. Each artist approaches the question of identity from a different perspective — through language, heritage, landscape, memory and lived experience.
“What unites them is a belief in photography’s power to help us see one another more clearly. We are honoured to partner with OICE on a project that opens up new conversations about who we are, and how we understand each other.”
For more information visit: Belfast Exposed
Notes to editors:
- Photo caption: Communities Minister Gordon Lyons (centre) pictured with Dr Katy Radford, Director of the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression (OICE) (L) and Deirdre Robb, Chief Executive, Belfast Exposed (R) at the opening of BIEN — British? Irish? Either? Neither?.
- The exhibitions are:
- Exhibition 1 Rebecca Brownlie – Abandoned NI - explores Ulster-Scots heritage through photographs of abandoned buildings and domestic interiors across Northern Ireland.
- Exhibition 2 Iollann Ó Murchú — Tarraingíonn Scéal Scéal Eile (One Story Leads to Another) - celebrates the Irish language, landscape and the enduring relationship between people and place.
- Group Exhibition 3 — In Their Own Image - brings together fourteen artists whose work reflects the many voices that contribute to contemporary identity in Northern Ireland.
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