Belfast Exposed: Queer Artist Forum presents "Sanctuaries"

Belfast Exposed played host to a specially commissioned exhibition by the Queer Artist Forum, a group of local lens-based artists, which was on display throughout July 2024 as part of Belfast’s Pride celebrations.

This was the second group exhibition facilitated by Belfast Exposed, the first having been shown earlier this year on the walls of Embrace Style, the gender-neutral hair and beauty salon on east Belfast’s Holywood Road.

This new show, entitled ‘Sanctuaries’, featured the work of five local artists, each tackling themes of both religious and broader cultural judgement of queer individuals, and their forms of resistance.

The Queer Artist Forum was founded in early 2023 with the support of Belfast Exposed following ‘She / Her / Hers / Herself’, an exhibition by socially engaged Australian artist Anthony Luvera.

The Forum is hosted monthly in the gallery space and provides a space for discussion, peer-to-peer engagement, as well as artistic and career development for lens-based visual artists in the queer community.

The artists featured are Hannah McGirr, Ryan Allen, Aidan Geary, Molly Qualter, and Vesper MacKenzie.