The People of Belfast art exhibition supports Welcome

Artist Frans Gertenbach’s new exhibition: The People of Belfast is opening at the ArtceteraStudio in Belfast on 27 August 2020.

This exciting new exhibition features eleven acrylic paintings that expose the cold and uncomfortable truths of life, that are often forgotten in day-to-day routines. The people of Belfast are no strangers to struggle and strife, but their story is also one of unity and working as a community to overcome their challenges. Visitors to the exhibition will be taken on a journey of self-reflection as the portraits come to life in a very personal way, reminding us that we all still struggle, but that we can lean on each other and emerge as better, stronger people

“The People of Belfast exhibition depicts faces from around our city. Faces we pass, faces we ignore, and faces we sometimes acknowledge. I aim to bring those faces to centre stage so they can’t be ignored but instead they can be stared at and provide a space for you to wonder and imagine the life behind the face,” said Frans Gertenbach, artist.

The People of Belfast exhibition has partnered with The Welcome Organisation, who provide a range of potentially life-saving services to around 1,400 people affected by homelessness across greater Belfast every year.

Entrance is free but donations will be collected to support The Welcome Organisation, and Gertenbach has also agreed to auction one of his portraits during the exhibition in support the organisation.

More information about the exhibition can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/ArtceteraStudio/

About the artist:

Frans Gertenbach is a South African artist based in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland. His portraits are a display of his passion and creativity inspired by the people that he knows.

Gertenbach graduated from Ruth Prowse School of Art, Woodstock Cape Town, in 2005. Since then he went on a journey of self-discovery and learning to develop his own style and method. His work is influenced by Nano Reid, Gauguin, Hockney and Lucian Freud amongst others. Much of his influence also comes from the spontaneity of children’s art.

Painting is an exhibition of his passion that is brought to life by his hallmark use of colours to express symbolism, communicate emotion and mood, and in so doing, delighting the viewer's imagination to run wild with interpretation.