Preachers, Priests and Nuns of Ulster – An Exhibition by Shauna Fox

This exhibition of new paintings by Shauna Fox takes a sideways look at religious imagery in Northern Ireland. After a visit to South America last year she realised that religious imagery was extremely prominent across the continent. When she returned to Belfast she saw that religious imagery was just as prominent here. This exhibition captures some of these everyday religious scenes across Northern Ireland.

Shauna graduated from Ulster University and went on to study at Camberwell College of Arts in London.

Shauna has had five solo exhibitions in the last five years, four of which were in London, where she is rapidly making a name for herself.  In 2024 she had a solo exhibition of her very large-scale paintings on display in Peckham, London. Her work also featured in the Young Women Artists of NI show at the ICC in London

She lives between London and Belfast and paints mostly street scenes of both cities.  Her art attempts to capture moments that appear mundane and ordinary, but on closer inspection become lyrical, beautiful and poetic.

With a particular interest in Irish painting culture, she believes that most Irish art portrays Ireland in a certain mythical light which arguably omits to tell the full story.  Shauna wants to scratch that surface and see what lies underneath.

Shauna is not focusing on the Catholic/Protestant tribalism often on display, but rather the relationship people have with their religion and how that manifests itself in everyday street life and life in general.  Believing that the point of being religious is to improve both people and society, she now feels that is not the objective after all - but what is the point?

This exhibition is not a disparage religion exercise but more an insight into her thinking and her questions as to why nuns support Trump and why preachers work the streets of Belfast in an endless pursuit of lost souls.  And, she admits, after painting these, she still has no idea.