From Belfast's Streets to Its Walls
Today Terry Bradley is one of Northern Ireland's most collected contemporary artists, with two galleries, one in the heart of Belfast city centre at Victoria Square and another on Bangor High Street. The journey from a North Belfast street to becoming a full time artist was anything but straightforward.
No gallery would look at him in the early days. He had no formal training, no industry connections and no clear path forward. He simply had Belfast, and the stories it had given him.
A City That Made an Artist
Terry Bradley was born in Belfast in 1965, growing up in North Belfast near the peace lines on a street close to the Shankill Road. The Troubles were at their height and Terry spent much of his youth kept indoors, unable to roam freely through the streets of the city that would one day define everything he creates.
Dockers & Dolls
The Belfast Dockers that Terry depicts in his art are drawn from the working men of Sailortown. Sailortown is Belfast's historic dockland area that at its height was filled with tens of thousands of labourers in long thick coats, moving through cobbled streets in all weathers. Terry has always been fascinated by these men and the world they inhabited.
He describes the Belfast Docker as honest, loyal, tough and hardworking. The Docker is a man of no religion and absolute fairness.
The women Terry paints are known as the Dolls. The Dolls are his interpretation of Belfast female culture. During his early years in Belfast and Dublin, Terry was struck by the glamour and confidence of these women. Having struggled with confidence himself, he deeply admired it in others. Over time however he began to notice that the confidence was often a front, a constructed exterior to deflect from true emotions within. The women that Terry paints are often self portraits, he uses women to disguise this self reflection and depiction of inner emotion that he can only express through paint.
That tension between outer strength and inner vulnerability became one of the defining themes of his work and one of the reasons his Belfast artwork resonates so deeply with people across Northern Ireland and beyond.
You can explore the full [Dockers collection] and [Dolls collection] in the online shop.
Galleries Built for Everyone
The two Terry Bradley galleries are located in Victoria Square Belfast and on Bangor High Street in County Down. From the staff, to the interior design, every detail has been considered to make them genuinely welcoming spaces.
So many art galleries around the world carry an exclusive atmosphere, you feel as though you must justify walking through the door, as though you don't belong. The Terry Bradley galleries are deliberately different. There are sofas, there is space to breathe. Everyone is welcome to come in, sit down and take their time with the art. No pressure, no pretension.
Whether you are a seasoned art collector, or someone that has never bought art in their life, our galleries are open to you.
Belfast Landmarks
Terry has been asked to create murals in some of Belfast's most significant locations, cementing his place not just as a Belfast artist but as part of the city's cultural fabric.
One mural stands at the Lanark Way interface peace gatesin North Belfast, it was a collaboration with R-CITY, a youth organisation based on the Shankill Road, created through a series of workshops with young people from the local community. This mural appeared in the opening scene of Kenneth Branagh's acclaimed film 'Belfast' an amazing moment of recognition.
A second mural stands at Hickson's Point beside the Titanic Belfast building, one of Northern Ireland's most visited landmarks and a location where Terry has hosted two of his most successful exhibitions, bringing Belfast contemporary art to one of the city's most iconic settings.
Thank You Belfast
Terry is from Belfast. He has always been from Belfast, and has felt the support over the years from the people of Belfast, everyone that follows the art, that connects to the art has a special place to us. The outpouring support from Belfast whenever Terry has had his gallery raided or artwork defaced the local community has been right there to support
