JONATHAN BRENNAN INTERVIEWS DEIRDRE ROBB ABOUT THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF BELFAST EXPOSED.
Jonathan Brennan: Deirdre, you’re a well-known figure in the Northern Irish arts scene, but for readers further afield, could you offer a few words of introduction?
Deirdre Robb: I am Chief Executive Officer of Belfast Exposed, and I do a lot of the curatorial work – as well as making teas and coffees when necessary! After studying at University of Ulster, I worked in a community organisation called Arts for All in North Belfast. It was very challenging, but I really loved it. I then progressed on to Belfast City Council, then Arts Council Northern Ireland, where I worked for ten years. I loved it but always thought if there was ever an organisation I would move for, it would be Belfast Exposed, because it has always been so much more than a gallery. When the director position came up, I immediately jumped at it.
JB: How did Belfast Exposed get started?
DR: It was formed in the early 1980s by a collective of local photographers, both amateur and professional, who were sick of the world media painting a very singular and sensationalised picture of Northern Ireland at that time, and Belfast in particular. Convened by community activist, Danny Burke, they were a grassroots group, documenting the daily lives of working-class communities, who knew there was more to the city than bombs and guns. Their first exhibition was in October 1983 at Conway Mill (on the nationalist side of Belfast’s main Peace Wall) and was simply called ‘Belfast Exposed’ – a nod to the analogue photographic process, while also implying that normally unseen parts of the city would be revealed.
The exhibition later travelled to Dublin, where it inspired Seamus Heaney to write them a letter, commenting on the “powerful, democratic feel running through these photographs.” Belfast Exposed later became an arts organisation, and they started running training programmes. There would have been a lot of unemployment around at the time, which aided recruitment for the paramilitary groups. Photographers like Frankie Quinn would say that if he hadn’t had photography as his channel, he probably would have ended up in one of those groups. In short, it was very much about doing a really positive thing within and across communities. In 1998, international Magnum photographer, Eve Arnold donated an exhibition (that would have cost thousands of pounds) to support their activities. It really showed the potential of the organisation and where it could go.
JB: Four decades on, how is Belfast Exposed run and funded?
DR: We currently have eight staff – soon to be nine – and we are funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council, and different trusts and foundations. I have been through an MBA (Master of Business Administration) which has really helped me transform the organisation. And we have affordable rent, which makes a massive difference. We’ve got two floors, which includes the main gallery downstairs, where we present international and archival exhibitions. Compiled over the last 40 years, the Belfast Exposed Archive is a substantial collection of over one million negatives and slides, from both professional and amateur photographers, which is held in trust for the community.
The second-floor gallery is a more experimental space for emerging artists and early-career artists, but also for established artists wanting to try something new. We show work that can be classified as contemporary art but also documentary photography, with strong narratives that link to social issues, and themes that people can connect with. We recently celebrated Belfast punk icon, Terri Hooley, who was photographed by Stuart Bailey, with ‘Visions of Hooley’ in the Studio Gallery (4 – 27 April). Continuing downstairs in Gallery One until 25 May is the exhibition ‘Ukraine: Searching for the Normal’ by Cathal McNaughton, the only Irish Pulitzer Prize-winner. In Gallery Two, ‘Our Archive: 40 Years of Belfast Exposed’ continues until 1 June.
We’ve always had a strong community practice across Northern Ireland and beyond, working with groups like Wave Trauma that supports those who have been impacted by The Troubles. Our work in mental health began largely with our Community Engagement Manager, Mervyn Smyth, and has been growing, especially since the pandemic. Covid affected everyone, so I feel we should incorporate mental health into everything we do; this has included, for example, our major ‘Healing Through Photography’ conference last year.
JB: Your 40th anniversary programme is already underway. Are there any forthcoming highlights you’d like to share?
DR: We are having exhibitions continually throughout the year to acknowledge current and past practitioners. One significant highlight is the forthcoming Vivian Maier exhibition, ‘The Self-portrait and its Double’, which will run from 3 October to 21 December. This will be the first of its kind in Ireland, and so is a bit of a coup. Her story is amazing, but I think she’s of specific interest because she is someone who never seemed to fit into the world but used her camera to navigate her own identity. Alongside this exhibition, there will be a public programme looking at identity and the self.
The Belfast Exposed 40th Anniversary Gala will take place at Belfast City Hall on 6 June. That will bring in as many other artforms as possible, while acknowledging and celebrating some of our founder members, like Danny Burke and Sean McKernan, female photographers including Helen Sloan, and international figures who cut their teeth here, such as Donovan Wylie. Tickets are £100 per person with a three-course meal, entertainment, drinks reception, prizes and awards to be presented on the night. Tickets are only available via gala@belfastexposed.org or by calling +442890230965.
There will be an open call for photographs of dogs! We’re going to have a boudoir where people can come in and get their dogs photographed, creating accessibility for those who’d never dream of coming into a gallery, as well as an environmental project around Lego which will be very hands on.
JB: Beyond this year – what does the future hold? Keep doing what you’re doing?
DR: Yes, but you must evolve. One of the exhibitions we’ve got planned is in partnership with Bradford 2025, the first ever City of Culture to go pan-UK. This collaboration is also going to be about working with artists to help elevate their practice with international opportunities. We will continue to work collaboratively with Source, Photo Museum Ireland, and Belfast Photo Festival, with an ongoing focus on sustainability and our work in mental health. Soon, we plan to introduce high-quality yet affordable collectible photobooks. I guess my wish is for Belfast Exposed to be seen as a centre of excellence internationally for our training programmes, and how we support and facilitate photographers. We do much of this work already, but I would like to expand to a much bigger scale.
Deirdre Robb is Chief Executive Officer of Belfast Exposed.
belfastexposed.org
Jonathan Brennan is an artist based in Belfast.
jonathanbrennanart.com