This mural makes me hang my head in shame, hold my head high with pride and wet my pants laughing…read morewhen I see it. As it is down an alleyway next to The Duke Of York I usually encounter it when i'm several sheets to the wind. This is probably the best time to look at it as some of the local celebrities are hard to decipher without a copious amount of booze. The funniest thing to do is either try and work out who all the celebs are or watch tourists do it - there are about ten that I vaguely recognize and very few that the average tourist can spot. You are likely to hear 'Is that one Nadine Coyle or Christine Bleakely?' a few times before the night is out. Loving the fact that there is a summer seat positioned right opposite the main wall so you don't even have to be a standing detective - you can actually sit, with your pint and your smoke and solve the riddle that is this mural. Good Luck!

My first visit, 07/09/2017, introduced me to a gallery I've heard much about. It lived up to it's…read morereputation. Brimming with challenging, contemporary art tackling the big issues of our time, Catalyst is not for the faint-hearted. This uber-cool, industrial, warehouse suits the art it showcases (installation, conceptual, screen etc) and the radical art on display perfectly suits the space. Numerous artists were represented, but I was especially drawn to American/ Metis artist Dylan A T Miner's red wall hangings, called "Gesture of Solidarity". Miner deals with indigenous/ colonial themes and his banners dominated the gallery, catching the eye, demanding attention and investigation. Fantastic work. Catalyst is volunteer run/ nonprofit and as well as serving up fascinating experimental art, it runs a range of events, screenings and activities such as the Anarchist Bookfair. Quite possibly one of the most exciting art spaces in Belfast. I'm only sorry it took me so long to get round to visiting...

Always a great show pushing the boundaries of there practice. Check it out on Late Night Art. It's…read morethe first Thursday of the month!

Great artwork of a 33ft long by artist John Kindness. This fish is a ceramic tile and located at…read morethe bank of Lagan River. It's very noticeable and well created. Glad that I visited.

We live laugh love the salmon of knowledge!!! Big Fish was a huge highlight of the trip, even…read morethough we only got to see it at night because of our timing.

I love browsing through art galleries and the Engine Room is the latest small gallery in Belfast I…read morehave stumbled upon. Run by East Belfast Arts Collective, this Gallery has moved from its original location in a mill Engine Room to a street-level showroom just a little further east on the Newtownards Road. Since the Engine Room opened in the mid 1990s it has been according to the gallery "an engine at the core of the development of contemporary art in Belfast." The range of works on show include everything from oils and acrylics to prints, video, sculpture, arte povere, installation art and new technology. The gallery also aim to showcase lesser known local artists alongside more well known artists with international profiles. There are new exhibitions every month.

This is a great Gallery space in the heart of East Belfast. It hosts local, national and…read moreInternational exhibition. The latest exhibition from 1st April 2010 is a solo show by Deirdre Robb. works on display are paintings, installations and expeimental prints

The Sheep Herder and his seven sheep are located outside the Waterfront Hall, this statue was…read morecommissioned by the Cultural Council to mark the location of Belfast's Farmers Market. This farmers market is of course no longer present but I feel that this statue is a fitting tribute to Belfast's rich agricultural background. It is also very poignant that this statue is located outside the Waterfront Hall, a building that represents Belfast's future whilst the farmer is ever present in its shadow herding his sheep. IT is also very in keeping with the themes in surrounding themes like the Ulster Brewer and The Bronze Speaker in the nearby Custom House Square. This is another statue that will attract plenty of tourists and I turn highlight the City's cultural, agricultural and industrial background.

This is a lovely vibrant buzzing area of Belfast with great pubs with live music, I would recommend…read morethe thirsty goat and I hear the dirty onion is good but we couldn't get in with children after a certain time and restaurants I would recommend granny Annie's , there's lovely outdoor seating areas with overhanging umbrellas and benches to enjoy a Guinness in the sunshine.

History and modern clash here in the Cathedral Quarter which is in the shadow of Belfast's Saint…read moreAnne's Cathedral. I spent most of my time along Hill Street but there's more. The narrow cobblestone alleyways are lined with classic pubs, fashionable bars and a spectrum of restaurants for different tastes and budgets. Many of the walls here are covered with street art, either sanctioned or unsanctioned. This makes for a colorful (colourful?) tour as you stumble from one drinking establishment to the next. Thankfully, my hotel was not too far away from Hill Street so I didn't have to stumble too far after enjoying drinks in the Dirty Onion and the Dark Horse the Garrick bar and the Duke of York. Lots of traditional Irish music, some whiskey, some Guinness and more. Don't miss the Yardbird which smelled amazing with their rotisserie chicken cooking. [Review 1994 of 2024 - 896 in United Kingdom - 23016 overall]

Really nice art store with a wide selection of items. Unfortunately, I was only searching for a new…read morejournal, but the journal selection was also quite extensive. 3-4 racks. Massive collection of Leuchtturms and Moleskins if that's what you're into. Would recommend. I grabbed one for a friend from a brand I didn't immediately recognize in a niche color. Staff seemed quite friendly additionally.

Absolutely delighted with my Bradbury Art Store delivery; was able to order over the phone and my…read moreWinsor & Newton art supplies were delivered to me the next working day. Canvas and oil paints - looking forward to using them. Excellent quick service, very helpful staff and great selection of quality art materials. This will help me carry on painting during the Coronavirus lockdown - thank you Bradbury Art, much appreciated.

"Men live by bread, but the cooper by the ale cask." - Irish Proverb…read more Titled The Ulster Brewer, the barrel man sculpture was created by Ross Wilson and commissioned by Bass Ireland in 1997, is proudly displayed outside Belfast's Waterfront Hall. This work of public art commemorates the city's rich brewing tradition and marks 100 years of Bass Ireland's presence in Belfast. The artwork depicts a cooper working methodically on a barrel, symbolizing the workmanship and tradition that have been central to Belfast's history. The sculpture's attention to detail is impressive, portraying the essence of the cooper's trade as well as the significance of brewing in local culture. [Review 1910 of 2024 - 887 in United Kingdom - 22932 overall]

The Ulster Brewer is located at the Waterfront Hall and was commissioned by Bass Brewing company to…read morecommemorate 100 glorious years of brewing. If you don't know who Bass are they are the company that has the big red triangle for a logo. Pretty famous in Northern Ireland. I love this particular statue. I like the fact that it represents mans protection of his beer or at least that is what I have read into it. In fact I think it is just to commemorate the workers who helped create the famous Brew, the statue has a relative sense of pride. I think this sort of thing is great in the centre of Belfast as it celebrates culture and heritage of the City rather than dwelling on troubled times as people sometimes tend to do. It is in a great location and I have seen many tourists sitting beside the metal man crossing their arms and celebrating our culture in creating a perfect ale.

Flax Art studios have a rather serious, mature, industrial atmosphere. Indeed they originally came…read moreinto being in 1989 via a group of art school graduates, seeking space big enough to allow for the creation of large installations and sculptures. Flax's website describes the studio space as: "An area of 1,320 square metres provides ample room to house an industrial scale workshop, 7 large studio spaces, 11 smaller studio spaces, an international residency space and a communal fabrication area. A large mezzanine area accommodates the organisation's office and IT facilities." By the time I arrived at Flax it was the end of a walking tour of Belfast Art Studios and I'd been on my feet for over 3 hours walking, climbing stairs and wandering about without break. Thus I wasn't pleased to arrive at Flax and find their industrial lift out of order. Lift door probably not closed properly on the top floor and hence could not be called down to ground floor level, or so I was advised by the lovely Ladies who greeted us at the entrance doors. After 3 flights of stairs I arrived at Flax but was probably too tired to appreciate it fully. Despite this I was amazed at this warehouse sized space which was walled off into individual studios. The large fabrication area was pretty impressive too. I grabbed my third Suki tea of the day and had an amble around amiring work by Barbara Freeman, Sinead O'Donnell and Shiro Masuyama and chatted to the artists. I definitely want to return to Flax on the next Belfast Open Studios day in 2016, but will probably start with Flax so I'm not too tired to fully appreciate it. However, if you want to see an art studio big and well equipped enough to allow for the creation of large scale works such as public art pieces then this is the studio to visit. It's basically a huge warehouse with plenty of windows letting in natural light. If you're an artist looking for such a studio you can apply to rent a workspace in Flax by submitting a covering letter, up-to-date CV and up to ten images of artwork by post to: STUDIO APPLICATION Flax Art Studios United Optical Building 44-46 Corporation Street Belfast BT1 3DE

this place is brilliant i have been here a few times and enjoy it everytime.read more

I had the pleasure of calling in here after noticing the decorative chess pieces displayed in the…read morewindow and couldn't resist a look in. It's a small art gallery on Donegal Street which I'd never been in before (shock horror!) which displayed various canvases, statues, sculptures, chess pieces, paintings etc. You could literally smell the hard work (I love me some solvents ...no not really) but the man was obviously hard at work. After a quick glance round I began to look more intensely at some of pieces. There was a great 'Ulster fry' piece and also the fairy pictures were breath taking. The statues were so detailed and life like I could hardly believe it. I began talking to one of the shop owners, a friendly man called Anto who specialised on the local figure paintings while his brother concentrated on the sculpture side of the business. I had a fascinating talk with him about his life, his ideas, his business and he made me promise to call in back for a cuppa tea and a chat (Bless!) I had a look on his website and discovered he founded his company in 1995 and since then has been making original, popular sculptures of everyday people, politicians and some famous clientele. An important feature of the company and studio is to provide workshops to enable individuals and groups to gain experience of different mediums, in particular sculpting. So it is without a doubt that I recommend this place. Call in yourself and see what's on offer. Or for a brief look around then see the pictures attached.