Niamh Clarke, born in Newry 1983 graduated with a BA (Hons) Fine Art from Ulster University 2019. Based at QSS studios Belfast, she is a co-founder and member of the collaborative drawing group The Drawing Journal and previous co-director and member of Pollen studios Belfast. Uphold artist

Clarkes practice is predominantly drawing, but also includes written prose, watercolours and super 8 video which would be described as expanded forms of drawing. Her drawing practice reflects an interest in memory and temporality. Exploring the relationship between photography and drawing, a focus is placed on the embodied presence of gesture and materialisation through re-description of found and personal photographs.

Clarkes work contains personal narratives and references that draw inspiration from archival materials embracing subconsciousness, stream of consciousness, embodied practice and materiality. Images are used intuitively to create an implied narrative, in an attempt to materialise thought, bodily references or emotion. Influenced by Virginia Woolf’s phenomenological and embodied prose and the conflation of nature and the human condition, landscape and natural form is dominant.

Solo Exhibitions

2026 ‘Title TBC’ The Courthouse Gallery, Clare Upcoming

2025 ‘Interiorities’ Custom House Studios, Mayo

2021 ‘the transient and the perishing’ Platform Arts Belfast

Group Exhibitions

2025 ‘QSS Members Christmas Show’ QSS Belfast Upcoming

2025 ‘Winter Gathering’ Custom House Studios, Mayo Upcoming

2025 ‘Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2025’ Williamson Art Gallery, Liverpool (Touring Exhibition)

2025 ‘Royale Arcade Academy’ Arcade Gallery and Studios, Belfast

2025 ‘Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2025’ Trinity Buoy Wharf London (Touring Exhibition) – Upcoming

2025 ‘The Collectors Journey’ Boyle Arts Festival, King House, Boyle

2025 ‘Roving Light’ Queen Street Studios, Belfast

2025 ‘In Living Memory’ Household, Belfast

2025 ‘lucent’ The Levinsky Gallery, Plymouth (Touring Exhibition)

2024 ‘Anonymous Drawings’ Kunstraum Kreuzberg, Berlin

2024 ‘Art Riddler’ Charlemont Square, Dublin (Group Exhibition)

2024 ‘Royale Arcade Academy’ Arcade Gallery and Studios, Belfast

2024 ‘QSS at 40’ Queen Street Studios, Belfast

2024 ‘lucent’ Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford (Touring Exhibition)

2024 ‘lucent’ Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda (Touring Exhibition)

2023 ‘Winter Show’ Taylor Galleries, Dublin

2023 ‘Ode to Light’ Arcade Gallery and Studios, Belfast

2023 ‘QSS Members Christmas Show’ QSS Belfast

2023 ‘Royale Arcade Academy’ Arcade Gallery and Studios, Belfast

2023 ‘IMBAS’ An Tain, Dundalk

2023 ‘Quiet Wanders Laughing’ The Drawing Journal, Hyde Bridge Gallery, Sligo

2023 ‘lucent’ Uillin West Cork Arts Centre, Cork (Touring Exhibition)

2023 ‘QSS Patron Scheme Launch Exhibition’ 35DP, Belfast

2023 ‘Displacement and Belonging-Home’ RUA Red, Dublin

2023 ‘The Incorrigible Drawing Club’ The Ladies Drawing Club (Online exhibition)

2023 ‘Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2022’ Arthouse Jersey, Jersey (Touring Exhibition)

2022 ‘QSS Members Christmas Show’ QSS Belfast

2022 ‘Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2022’ Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, Basingstoke (Touring Exhibition)

2022 ‘141st Royal Ulster Academy Annual Exhibition’ Ulster Museum Belfast

2022 ‘Royale Arcade Academy’ Arcade Gallery and Studios Belfast

2022 ‘Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2022’ Trinity Buoy Wharf London (Touring Exhibition)

2022 ‘Future Forward ll’ Mart Gallery Dublin

2022 ‘Future Forward’ QSS Belfast

2021 ‘QSS Members Christmas Show’ QSS Belfast

2021 ‘Pollen Members Christmas Show’ Pollen Belfast

2021 ‘140th Royal Ulster Academy Annual Exhibition’ Ulster Museum Belfast

2021 ‘Thing’ The Drawing Journal, Ards Art Centre, Newtownards

2021 ‘191st RHA Annual Exhibition’ Royal Hibernian Academy Dublin

2021 ‘Drawing Dialogue 3’ Keighley Creative, Bradford

2021 ‘Materials Messages and Meanings #9 – Remember’ R-Space, Lisburn

2021 ‘Line of Thought’ PS2 Belfast (Online Exhibition)

2020 ‘Image of Thought’ The Drawing Journal, An Culturlann, Belfast (Online Exhibition)

2019 ‘RDS Visual Arts Awards Exhibition’ RDS, Dublin

2019 ‘139th Royal Ulster Academy Annual Exhibition’ Ulster Museum, Belfast

2019 ‘Multi Culti Collective’ Artcetera Gallery, Belfast

2018 ‘Home’ The Old Print Works, Birmingham

2018 ‘Lived In’ Goose Lane Galley, Belfast

Journals/Presentations/Workshops/Residencies

2025 Artist Talk, Southwest Regional College, Fermanagh

2025 ‘Head, Hand, Heart’ Commissioned limited Artist Editions, Uphold Belfast

2024 ‘The Future of the Image’ In conversation with Dougal McKenzie, Sharon McKeown and Jonathan Conlon, Queen Street Studios, Belfast

2024 ‘Tyrone Guthrie Residency’ Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Monaghan – Awarded by Newry and Mourne District Council

2024 Artist Talk and Workshop, Penn State University Summer Course, Burren College of Art, Co Clare

2024 ‘Artist Support Programme’ Eastside Arts, Belfast

2023 ‘Creative Spark Print Residency’ Creative Spark, Dundalk (May/June)

2023 ‘Drawing as Critical Geographical Method’ AAG, Denver – Panel Discussion online (Niamh Clarke and Doris Rohr)

2022/2023 ‘Person, Place, Possession’ Bridge Centre, Killyleagh, Down Arts (Drawing Project Facilitator– 6 weeks)

2022 ‘Creative Ageing Project’ Killyleagh Primary School, Killyleagh, Down Arts (Intergenerational Drawing Project Facilitator, 6 weeks)

2021 ‘From Objects to Narrative’ An Culturlann, Belfast, Creative Writing and Drawing Workshop (Tamzin Ashcroft, Niamh Clarke and Doris Rohr)

2020 ‘From Cradle to Parlour’ Drawing Research Theory Practice 5:1, Co Authored Journal (NiamhClarke and Doris Rohr)

2018 ‘Drawing as Thought as Text’ Art Materiality and Representation, British Museum London, Conference Paper (Niamh Clarke and Doris Rohr)

2016 ‘Printed Drawing Project’ Group Zine with Duncan Ross

2014 ‘Drawing Dialogues’ The Mac, Belfast, Drawing Conference (Student)

Education

2019 BA (Hons) Fine Art, Ulster University, Belfast

Awards/Grant-aided

2025 SIAP Arts Council Funding

2022 SIAP Arts Council Funding

2022 Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2022 – Shortlist

2020 Freelance Artist Funding

2019 RDS Visual Arts Awards 2019 – Shortlist

2019 Royal Ulster Academy Award for Outstanding Student

2017 Ulster University Dean’s List

Collections

Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Private collections in Ireland, UK and Europe.