Catalyst Arts

NOISE FEST 2014 A look back through the archive. NOISE FEST presented a series of new wave rock performances across five nights from 2nd - 6th May, 2014. Artists involved: Terminal communists | Gynaecologists theoretical girls | Daily life tone death | DNA contortions | Teenage Jesus and the Jerk Mars For more of our digital archive check out the Catalyst webpage!

🔨Introducing our most recent Co-Director and resident Brummie…Niamh ! 🔨 Niamh Birch is a multi-disciplinary artist from the West Midlands. Her practice interrogates the collision of queer and working-class cultures within industrial spaces, engaging themes of archive, identity, and legacy. Growing up in a small mining town outside Birmingham, Birch was shaped by a landscape marked by the remnants of industrial collapse. This environment continues to inform her interest in how histories of labour are preserved and where value is placed once industrial sites and communities are rendered obsolete. ⛓️ Since relocating to Belfast, Niamh has devoted her time to digging through the Catalyst archive, reimagining the past in the present, curating an exciting array of events. ⛓️ @niamh.stevestudio ⛓️ For info on how to become a co-director click the link in the bio !

TICKETS IN BIO 🟪Breaking the hiatus. 🟩Club curious is back. 🟧Keeping Catalyst alive. 🟦Doors close at 23:30 Once you’re in, you’re in. 🟨Bring a beer and a mate. 🟥Come dance with us. THIS IS A FUNDRAISING EVENT.

BECOME A CO-DIRECTOR ! We are now accepting applications to become a part of our incredible board! Founded in 1993 by Belfast School of Art graduates, Catalyst Arts is the longest running artist led gallery in Nothern Ireland. Since its beginning, 117 co-directors have helped shape what catalyst is today. Each and everyone has left their mark, helping to sustain the galleries foothold in local and international contemporary art. As a Catalyst Co-Director, you will learn a range of skills, and have the opportunity to immerse yourself within the arts ecology of Belfast and beyond. If you would like to gain experience in the operational running of an arts organisation, curation, project management, research and technical skills, we encourage you to apply. ❤️‍🔥 This post is a two year, voluntary position, with a commitment of around 16 hours a week. Co-Directors must be able to commit to being in the gallery space at least one day a week, alongside attending a weekly meeting one evening a week. To apply: link in bio Application deadline: 25th May

Ruaille Buaille Showing until the 30th April, there’s still time to catch Siofra Minnis’ graduate award show! The exhibition aims to interrogate systems of display, the ethics of collecting, and the instability of identity, using folkloric characters to reimagine cultural narrators across time. This exhibition was kindly funded by Ulster University. Photo credits: @photosbysi

Transmission exchange ’93   A look back through the archive.   Trasna, 13th-31st July 1993, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow Transmission in Belfast, 24th Sept -15th Oct. 1993, Temple Court, Belfast. An exchange show with @transmissionglasgow , Glasgow and Catalyst Arts, Belfast. Artists from Belfast: Karen Vaughan, Sandra Johnston, Aine Nic Giolla Coda, Terry Mc Allister, Derval Fitzgerald Artists from Glasgow: Gerald Byrne, Jacqueline Donaghy, Anna Millson, Emma Neilson, Richard Wright Photo credit unknown For more of our digital archive check out the Catalyst webpage!

Bring the Noise ‘06 A look back through the archive. Bring the Noise was a two-week project that ran through October 2006. It incorporated a range of audio and visual culture with an emphasis on experimentation, audience interaction and participation. This event, through considered orchestration, provided a free exploratory and collaborative space in which audience, performers and disciplines merged and fed off each other. The only requirements for participants was to Bring the Noise. Artists/groups involved: Patio sounds | Clone Quartet | Butternut | Jargon | Deserted | Nina Canell | Robin Watkins | Pointless creations. Photo credits unknown. For more of our digital archive check out the Catalyst webpage!

🌱Propagate 2026 🌱 Beocht an earraigh Part 2. In this workshop, participants learned how to make crosses, dolls, and candles using rushes. Aoife de Bhál taught us all about the folklore, mythology, and rituals associated with the goddess Bríd/Saint Bridget. As well as the rhythms of the Celtic calendar, and the relationship between the Irish language and the natural world. A huge thank you to the wonderful Aoife, who crafted a beautiful weekend, and a special thanks to those who came along! 💚Photo Credits: Katie Davies💚 @_intoperspective

🌱Propagate 2026🌱 Beocht an earraigh Part 1. We celebrated the first new shoots of the Spring with a bilingual (Irish/English) guided walk through the Colin Glen Forest with Aoife de Bhál. It was a chance to practice cúplá focal in a relaxed environment, and tap into the rhythm of the seasons. Participants joined us to spot mushrooms, sample wild teas, and gather rushes together. All gathered materials were used for traditional crafts in the second workshop. A huge thank you to the wonderful Aoife, who crafted a beautiful weekend, and a special thanks to those who came along! 💚Photo Credits: Eslam Abd El Salam💚 @eslamabdelsalam_

🪾🍂Ruaille Buaille🍂🪾 2nd April - 30th April 💛We are beyond excited to showcase the work of Siofra Minnis, recipient of the 25/26 Graduate Award 💛 Siofra Minnis is a Belfast-based multidisciplinary artist, currently based at Queen Street Studios. Her practice explores archival systems, materiality, and the colonial legacies embedded in structures of display. With a focus on land, conflict, and identity in Ireland. This exhibition presents a film featuring masked figures wearing hand-cast beeswax masks, alongside the costumes and props used in its production. Installed in the style of a museum storehouse, these elements are reframed as artefacts within a speculative archive. The exhibition aims to interrogate systems of display, the ethics of collecting, and the instability of identity, using folkloric characters to reimagine cultural narrators across time. The exhibition is kindly funded by Ulster University. Join us next week for Late Night Art, 6-9pm to celebrate the opening. 🌬️

Satellite city  ‘97   A look back through the archive.   Satellite city, held at Catalyst Arts, was an international convergence of artists, artist groups and DJ’s from across Europe to Belfast, held in September 1997. Artists involved: Klaar van der Lippe represented by Casco | Matt Mitchell collaborated with Bank | Tripp | Cathy Wilkes | Sue Tompkins | Hayley Tompkins and Victoria Morton | Florian Wuest | Knucklehead Jilkes | Hatch | Reality Check Photo credits unknown. For more of our digital archive visit the Catalyst webpage!