bill kirk archive exhibition

A series of three back-to-back exhibitions developed by Frankie Quinn and the Belfast Archive Project. The first in the series is based on Bill Kirk's archive, followed by photographs by Frankie Quinn in June and by James Bell in September.

The Belfast Archive Project aims to preserve, interpret and present our vanishing photographic heritage. It has been entrusted with collections of negatives and photographic prints in order to protect them for future generations. Belfast Archive Project aims to make these collections accessible through exhibitions, digital resources and print publications. These archives include the work of some of Northern Ireland’s most respected photographers. 

Co-curated by Frankie Quinn, Quinn has documented conflict and its social context across Ireland, Palestine/Israel, Turkey/Kurdistan and Bosnia as well as his native Belfast since the 1980s.

About Bill Kirk

Newtownards-born (1937) Bill Kirk’s life has been shaped by two major passions – cycling and photography. Cycling became a powerful motivating force following the early deaths of Kirk’s parents due to tuberculosis. It was his own life-threatening battle with the illness, alongside his redundancy as a draughtsman at Short’s, that prompted Kirk to study photography at Belfast’s Art College. He was driven, he says, ‘by a naïve belief that photography could make a difference.’

This dual commitment to social and aesthetic responsibility lies behind a body of work which is steeped in a sense of common humanity, whether its subjects are eminent local figures or random instants of life. Kirk’s perspective was a fresh one; and a refreshing one in the context of documentary photography during the Troubles.

‘My selection covers themes like Sandy Row, Images of Belfast, The Home Place, Corner Shops, The ‘Troubles’ and general snapshots.’  Curator: Frankie Quinn

'Bill Kirk Archive Exhibition opens on Friday 28th March in the Belfast Room at Ulster Museum. Free to visit, and no booking needed. 

In partnership with Belfast Archive Project and Frankie Quinn. Belfast Archive Project is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run association supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

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