WE ARE QSS AT 40 with work by Bebyond members included
Exhibition opened on Thursday 26th September, 6-8:30pm
Exhibition continues Mon - Thurs, 10am - 5pm, until 12th December 2024
The exhibition features work by over sixty artists in a range of media including painting, sculpture, video, drawing, performance and installation. Whilst the majority of these artists are current studio holders, fourteen past members from across the last four decades have also been invited to exhibit.
Maxwell notes, "It's going to be an eclectic show with an unusual hang, but that makes it really exciting for me as a curator. Being from Co. Antrim it's nice to be working with artists who live and work near where I hail from. Spending time in QSS over the last few months, meeting the artists and considering the exhibition spaces, has been deeply rewarding."
To complement the exhibition, QSS will host a series of guided tours, talks, workshops and open studios. An archival display will further illuminate the organisation’s rich history to include photographs, posters, historical documents and more.
Guest Curator | Eamonn Maxwell
Eamonn Maxwell, born in Co. Antrim, is a contemporary art curator and advisor. Having studied fine art at Camberwell College of Arts, he has spent more than 20 years working with visual arts and organisations including the Arts Council of Ireland, Goldsmiths College of Art, and Lismore Castle Arts. Maxwell has been involved in over 100 exhibitions in Ireland, the UK, and Europe, including curating the Irish Pavilion at Venice Biennale. He is passionate about the importance of art in contemporary life and helping artists become successful in their disciplines.
About QSS
Back in the early 80’s there was no studio provision or art suppliers in Belfast, no real gallery accessibility for non-established artists and little support for graduates. QSS emerged in 1984 as a direct response to these challenges, starting on the top floor of a former printers on Queen Street [up 91 steps!]; with eleven artists and a grant of £3,000 from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Forty years on and QSS is thriving, with forty eight studios and expansive gallery space at our current location in East Belfast (overhead Wyse Byse).
The 40th Birthday Programme is generously supported by Belfast City Council’s Arts & Heritage award, and the Esme Mitchell Trust.
QSS is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland through their Annual Funding Programme.