Rob is an artist based at Vault Artist Studios in Belfast. His work is disruptive. He works across disciplines, whether it takes the form of a large-scale mural that interrupts people’s journeys, unexpected participatory performances or a more meticulous studio piece, he aims to to disrupt the way we experience the world around us.
His work is routed in the familiar and the every day: things that have become embedded and accepted in our lives so much that we barely register them. These things are his starting point: patterns, geometry, mass-produced objects, popular culture, social customs, and even religious iconography. He will often then disrupt these familiar ideas or visuals with a chaotic intervention, or present them in an unexpected way.
His 2022 solo exhibition used painting, sculpture, video and photography to explore areas where gambling and religion intertwine. As with much of his work, he used humour as an entry point for audiences to engage with the potentially challenging subject matter.
He has become embedded in the Irish street art scene where, alongside many of his fellow Vaulters, he regularly contributes to the annual ‘Hit the North’ street art festival in Belfast. He has produced murals across Ireland including large works in Banbridge, Coleraine and Killeshandra, where he has responded to the culture and heritage of the local area whilst keeping his distinctive use of patterns and repetition at the fore.
In a well-known work from 2012, Rob served up over 100 Ulster fry-ups in Ormeau Park as part of the Household Festival of Contemporary Art. He assembled a small team of chefs to cook and give away for free to an impromptu gathering of people. The feast became a space for conversation and a humourous way to explore national identity, a contentious subject matter in Belfast.
Rob was a founding member of Vault Artist Studios and served as a trustee on the board for the first six years of the life of the collective. He studied fine art at Belfast Met (2012) and was previously a co-director of Catalyst Arts (2012-14).
Selected Exhibitions & Commissions
- August 2022 – It Could be You, Solo exhibition, Vault Artist Studios, Belfast
- September 2021 – Array Collective, Turner Prize Exhibition, Coventry (invited contributor)
- January 2019 – Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast, ‘Sparks’ (Curator)
- December 2018 – Vault Artist Studios, Arts market (Performance)
- September 2018 – Hit the North, Belfast
- September 2017 – Hit the North, Belfast
- August 2017 – Cootehill Arts Festival, Cootehill
- August 2017 – Arcadian Field, Belurgan (Performance)
- October 2016 – The MAC, Belfast
- June 2016 – Bangor Castle Walled Garden, ‘ForM’
- August 2015 – Taste of Cavan, ‘Ulster Fry Videos’
- February 2015 – trans-art, Cavan, ‘Indecency’
- May 2014 – Tools for Solidarity, Belfast, ‘Day Rave’
- March 2014 – R-Space Gallery, Lisburn, ‘Repeat:Repeat’ (Curator)
- November 2013 – Catalyst Arts, Belfast, ‘Forces’ (Curator)
- August 2013 – Household, Ormeau Road, Belfast, ‘Once Upon a Time on the Ormeau Road’
- October 2012 – Ulster Museum, Belfast, ‘Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition’
- October 2012 – Block T, Dublin, ‘Divine Creation II’
- August 2012 – Household, Ormeau Park, Belfast, ‘The Big Ormeau Fry Up’
- August 2012 – PS2, Belfast, ‘PRIME Collective – Converge’
- May 2012 – Catalyst Arts, Belfast, ‘Fifteen Over Eight’
- October 2011 – Ulster Museum, Belfast. ‘Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition’
- September 2011 – Catalyst Arts Project Space, Belfast. ‘Ulster Fry – A video installation with Gary Watson’
- February 2011 – Catalyst Arts, Belfast. ‘Divine Creation’
Employment
- Northern Ireland Manager, Visual Artists Ireland. 2014 – present
- Office Manager, R-Space Gallery. 2013 – 2015
- Co-Director, Catalyst Arts Gallery. 2012 – 2013
