A BRONZE bust of the late John Hume is among the artworks on display at the 140th annual Royal Ulster Academy exhibition.
The exhibition at the Ulster Museum, launched as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival, is running until January 9 2022 and is one of the most prominent platforms in the north for artists to showcase their work to a wider audience.
Among the paintings, portraits, photography and short films on display at the exhibition this year is a stunning sculpture in bronze of former SDLP leader and civil rights icon John Hume by esteemed artist John Sherlock.
The Derry-born sculptor, who died last year aged 87, created the work in 2008 as part of celebrations marking the 125th anniversary of Derry's St Columb's College, where he had previously attended as a pupil alongside the former Foyle MP.
Sherlock's work is even more striking in that he only began expressing himself with art in his late sixties, after starting a career as a teacher before moving into the hotel and property business.
The Portrait Bust of John Hume is one of several bronze busts sculpted by Sherlock, which also include likenesses of the late poet Seamus Heaney and Hume's fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner David Trimble.
Meanwhile, the RUA exhibition also features annual prize-winning pieces, including The Irish News Prize for a Work Depicting the Theme of Ireland Today.
This year's winner is a short film by Ballymoney-born visual artist Bernie Masterson. Titled The Longest Night, it was filmed on the winter solstice at a Luas station in Dublin, and depicts an eerie quiet that reflects the mood of a country that at the time was in the grip of a Covid-19 lockdown.
Dr Suzanne Lyle of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: "The RUA’s annual exhibition is a bright light in the arts calendar. It offers a vital showcasing platform for emerging artists to have their work seen and celebrated alongside work by more established artists, which can often bolster their artistic careers."
To attend the free exhibition, tickets must be booked in advance online at belfastinternationalartsfestival.com/event/140th-rua-annual-exhibition/.
