Vanishing Futures: Collective Histories of Northern Irish Art

Curated by Peter Richards. After ten years, eleven instalments and over fifteen thousand visitors, the Golden Thread Gallery’s ‘Collective Histories of Northern Irish Art’ series of exhibitions and publications will launch its final instalment ‘Vanishing Futures’ this October.

Brief background of Collective Histories of Northern Irish Art:
In 2005 the Golden Thread Gallery launched its Collective Histories of Northern Irish Art series of exhibitions and publications with the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland National Lottery, Belfast City Council and the Flax Trust. The series forms a significant archive of Northern Irish Art from 1945 to the present. Each instalment has featured a different guest curator who has been selected to make their particular specialist knowledge and lived experience accessible to audiences. This series was created to be a useful historical context from which audiences and educators can engage with the stories of this place through the art of our time. Central to the project is an acknowledgement that there are many versions of history. To date, the Golden Thread Gallery has realised eleven instalments: Post-War – Pre Troubles; Icons of the North; Art and the Disembodied Eye; The Double Image; A Shout in the Street; The Visual Force; Art Beyond Ulster and Tears in Rain/ Dheora san Fhearthainn; Outside and Between; Catalyst Arts; and This is what comes… In doing so, we have had the privilege of working with: S.B. Kennedy; Brian McAvera; Liam Kelly; Dougal McKenzie; Declan McGonagle; Slavka Sverakova; Brian Kennedy; Máirtín Ó Muilleoir; Shân McAnena; Cherie Driver; and Hugh Mulholland. Each curator has shown us a unique and personal version of Northern Irish art history, influenced by their own expertise, areas of interest and chosen time frame.