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Void Art Centre

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Void Art Centre

Void Art Centre’s overarching mission is to become an active civic contributor by creating meaningful connections between art and society.

Find out more at www.derryvoid.com Void is a contemporary art gallery that commissions and produces a visual arts programme that aims to challenge our audience and promote the arts to new and existing audiences. The programme supports a diverse range of artistic practices of national and international artists. The programme focuses on the collaborative nature of art and its ability to add to artis

tic discourse through exhibitions, events, discussions and partnerships. Through our commissions we work with a network of arts organisations both nationally and internationally to create specific projects. A key element to the gallery is the Void Engage programme which places participation, engagement and learning at the heart of Void, making contemporary visual art accessible to visitors of all ages.

29/05/2026

💐 Last day to see ‘Re-turning’ 💐
🗓️ Until Saturday 30 May 2026 at Void Art Centre

Tomorrow marks the final day to see our current project ‘Re-turning’, a project that follows from our previous programme ‘Composting the future’ which took place across March and April 2024 🌱 ‘Re-turning’ comprises a presentation of work past, present and future in Void, internal training for the Void team, and a programme of events.

🪱 ‘Re-turning’ further extends our use of the metaphor of composting to think about how different timelines melt into one another across our programming. Rather than suggesting that projects have finished once an exhibition is deinstalled or when the aftermath of an event has been cleaned up, ‘Re-turning’ seeks to highlight our commitment to supporting research in the long term.

🤝 In line with this, across the galleries, you will find contributions that acknowledge the past, present and future of Void’s programming, spanning projects and events that have taken place locally, in Rathlin Island, and further afield.

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On the final day of the show, you can join the lecture ‘Interrogating the Polis’, a lecture by former Orchard Gallery Director Liam Kelly, from 1.30pm-3pm, at Void 🔗 Register to attend at the link in our bio above.

Image: Closing Circles in Re-turning, 2025. Photo by Simon Mills.

22/05/2026

Our current show Re-turning runs until 30th May 2026.

Re-turning comprises a presentation of work past, present and future in Void, internal training for the Void team, and a programme of events.

Re-turning uses the metaphor of composting to think about how different timelines meld into one another across our programming. Rather than suggesting that projects have finished once an exhibition is deinstalled. It highlights our commitment to supporting research in the long term, as well as a programme that hopes for sustained civic engagement and continued conversations.

This multifaceted project that consists of contributions from PhD student Ashab Arif Ahmad who created a presentation of material from Orchard Gallery’s archives held at Void Art Centre - Derry’s first contemporary arts space - advised by Soso Ní Cheallaigh and Gregory McCartney.

Images: Re-turning, 2026. Photos by Simon Mills.

21/05/2026

💬 Upcoming event: Town Hall
🗓️ Thursday 4 June 2026, 6-8pm at Void Art Centre
📢 Register via the link : https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/town-hall-tickets-1990092144175

The team at Void Art Centre are excited to invite you to our upcoming event 'Town Hall' on Thursday 4 June 2026, from 6-8pm.

Taking the form of a Pot Luck at Void, and following on from our current project 'Re-turning', the event seeks to create a public moment of reflection. Together, we will reflect on Void's programme, past and ongoing, and share thoughts and ideas. This is an opportunity to meet and connect, sharing food and conversation with one another.

🥕🍅 As part of the Pot Luck - those attending are asked to bring along (prepared) dishes they wish to share with others. Please bring along a plate for yourself and some cutlery too! Due to allergens, we’re suggesting vegan recipes.

ℹ️ This event takes its name from a 'Town Hall' - a meeting open to the public, and a chance to ask questions, highlight local issues and think through problems together.

Photo by Tansy Cowley

19/05/2026

👋 Interrogating the Polis: Lecture by Professor Liam Kelly
🗓️ Saturday 30th of May 2026, 1:30-3pm
🔗 Register for free via: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/interrogating-the-polis-lecture-by-professor-liam-kelly-tickets

We are delighted to announce an illustrated talk on the works of Philip Napier and Shane Cullen at the Orchard Gallery, delivered by former director of the Orchard Gallery, Liam Kelly.

Tom Paulin, in his essay, ‘A New Look at the Language Question’ reminds us 'that ‘…the history of a language is often a story of possession and dispossession, territorial struggle and the establishment or imposition of a culture'.

A number of Irish artists have deployed and interrogated language both orally and textually as a working strategy for engagement with a political context, such as in the North of Ireland. These artists include Philip Napier and Shane Cullen, both of whom exhibited at the Orchard Gallery, Derry, in the late 1990’s and whose work I will attempt to analyse in this talk.

Prof. Liam Kelly
Emeritus Professor of Irish Visual Culture, UU, Belfast
Former Director of The Orchard Gallery, Derry

Images:

Philip Napier, Gauge, 1997. Image from Exhibition Postcard for “Gauge”, Orchard Gallery, Derry, 1997.

Shane Cullen, Image from cover of Fragmens Sur Les Institutions Républicaines IV, Edited by Liam Kelly, Published by the Orchard Gallery and Centre d’art contemporain de Vassivière en Limousin, 1998.

12/05/2026

💐 Looking back at the launch of Re-turning 💐

A belated thank you to everyone who joined us for the launch of 'Re-turning' back at the end of April!

'Re-turning' further extends our use of the metaphor of composting to think about how different timelines melt into one another across our programming 🪱 Rather than suggesting that projects have finished once an exhibition is deinstalled or when the aftermath of an event has been cleaned up, Re-turning seeks to highlight our commitment to supporting research in the long term, as well as a programme that hopes for sustained civic engagement and continued conversations outside of an outcome period.

The project continues at Void until Saturday 30 May 2026, with several events taking place before then 👉 Take a look at the link in our bio for more information.

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This launch also marked the last day of our previous Director Viviana Checchia, who has left Void to join Metal, an organisation working nationally and internationally, as well as within communities, to inspire positive change through art and creativity 🌱 During her three years at the organisation, Viviana worked with the team to think through ways social permaculture could shape our internal and external working processes, creating space for critical enquiry about the role a visual arts organisation can play in society.

Whilst she has now left our shores, we're excited to see what the future holds for her in her new position at Metal 🤝

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Photos: Charlie Cassidy

08/05/2026

Void Art Centre are hiring for the position of Interim Director.

Void Art Centre (Void) is an arts organisation and active civic contributor, creating meaningful connections between art & society, working within Derry and Northern Ireland to reflect the global changes we are all part of.

Void’s ambition is to ensure our programmes and the organisation as a whole are sustainable and community-engaged, entailing attention and care towards the team, our resources and local communities and our environment. Responding to this ambition, Void focuses on alternative ways of producing, distributing and presenting art projects which respond to our locality even as we present international-level work.

The Interim Director is responsible for the overall management of the Void Art Centre and its general programme for the duration of his/her appointment. In conjunction with the team, he/she will be involved in organisational planning such that activities which have been committed to are undertaken and that financial management, people management, and programming decisions are made to satisfy the requirements of funders and the organisation’s overall mission. This may also include planning for activities which fall beyond the term of the interim role.

This is an opportunity for someone with strong leadership and team-building experience, as well as an understanding of the visual arts sector, to gain experience leading the organisation and its programmes on an interim basis.

To apply:
Send CV and cover letter to [email protected]
Deadline for applications: Monday 25th May (end of day)

For a full job description, please visit our website.

06/05/2026

REMINDER!

💭Memory Sessions: The Orchard Gallery💭
🗓️ Thursday 28 May 2026, 6-8pm at Void
🔗 Register for free via link below

We’re looking forward to inviting you to join PhD Researcher Ashab Ahmad for a Memory Session on the Orchard Gallery (1978 to 2003), Derry’s first contemporary visual arts space.

During the event, Ashab will display photographs, documents, publications, and articles on the Orchard Gallery that have been retrieved from archival material at Void Art Centre 📦 Participants are encouraged to bring in any items in their own possession that they feel would be relevant to the discussion. Whether you fancy a casual chat with other participants or a more critical consideration of lessons for the current context, this event seeks to stimulate new conversations about the Orchard Gallery within the city.

This is an opportunity to share your experiences of the gallery over refreshments, as well as to discuss the gallery’s programme and its legacy 🏆 Everyone is welcome regardless of whether they remember the Orchard Gallery or simply wish to learn more about its history.

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https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/memory-sessions-the-orchard-gallery-tickets-1987400645831?aff=oddtdtcreator

04/05/2026

👋 Reminder: Join us for our upcoming group Arpentage which will look at the book ‘Arkive City’👋
🗓️ Wednesday 6 May 2026, 6-8pm at Void

Register at the link in our bio above to join us at our upcoming Arpentage ⤴️ This session will look at the text ‘Arkive City’ edited by Julie Bacon. The text was recommended by Void’s PhD Researcher Ashab Arif Ahmad who has created a research installation in our current show ‘Re-turning’.

‘Arkive City’ features transcripts and essays that provide historical, theoretical and practical case studies into archive management, as well as insights into the artist-led culture of archiving practices 🗃️

An Arpentage is a method of reading emerging in Italian workers’ circles. We will cut the book into sections, reading one section each before sharing our thoughts with one another. This way, we will read the book together 🤝

🔗 To attend, register at the link in our bio above.

03/05/2026

REMINDER!
📦 Collective Arpentage Reading: Arkive City by Julie Bacon 📦
🗓️ Wednesday 6 May 2026, 6-8pm at Void Art Centre
🔗 Free Registration via the link below

As part of our project Re-turning, join us for a collective reading of the text 'Arkive City' edited by Julie Bacon. Join us for our next Arpentage Collective Reading as part of our project Re-turning which recognises the many hands involved in shaping Void’s past, present and future. This project will include a contribution by PhD researcher Ashab Ahmad, who will present material from Orchard Gallery, Derry's first contemporary visual arts organisation.

To expand on Ashab's contribution we will read Arkive City, an anthology edited by Julie Bacon which investigates the role of archives in contemporary society. Contributions in the book map out important questions and shifts in interest that have arisen from the changing role of archiving in culture and its relationship with the arts, through their work curating exhibitions in museums, (de)constructing (art) history, running library and government archives, initiating archives in arts organisations and shaping individual practice.

ℹ️ An arpentage is a method of reading that originated in Italian workers' circles, aimed at sharing knowledge collectively. The process involves cutting up a book, with each person reading one section. We recount our sections out loud, and with this, read the book together. This way, books that include theory become more accessible and generate conversation.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/arpentage-arkive-city-tickets-1987133452649?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

22/01/2026

🪑Get involved! Engage with ‘The Sculpture’🪑
🗓️ Until Saturday 4 April 2026 at Void Art Centre

As part of our current exhibition ‘I find myself’, a retrospective of work by artist-activist Barbara Steveni, we are re-staging the work ‘The Sculpture’ (1971). A boardroom table with surrounding chairs, this artwork invites open conversations from members of the public 💬 Originally presented as the main exhibit at two key Artist Placement Group exhibitions in 1971, the group invited live conversations between artists, industrialists and government representatives to discuss APG’s ideas and the potential role of the artist in policy making.

🤝 With this in mind, we’re inviting the public to engage with ‘The Sculpture’, hosting their own conversations around the table. If you have a burning question or topic you wish to discuss with others, or if you already host gatherings and want a space to sit together and chat, please get in touch with [email protected] with the subject line: The Sculpture.

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💌Thank you to everyone who came to the launch of ‘I find myself’ on Saturday!

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Image: Barbara Steveni, ‘The Sculpture’ (1971) in ‘I find myself’ at Void Art Centre (2026). A touring exhibition, curated by Gareth Bell-Jones and supported by Flat Time House, Modern Art Oxford and Arts Council NI. Photo: Simon Mills.

Address

10 Waterloo Place
Londonderry
BT486BU

Opening Hours

Tuesday	11am - 5pm
Wednesday	11am - 5pm
Thursday	11am - 5pm
Friday	11am - 5pm
Saturday	11am - 5pm

Telephone

+442871308080

Website

http://www.derryvoid.com/

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