AS the recent census results have fired up new debates about national identity, a former doctor turned artist from Belfast has tackled the complex subject on canvas.
Preparing for the new exhibition opening at her Ormeau Road gallery and studio, Anna McKeever said her new collection of 13 oil-on canvas artworks explored what it means to live on the island of Ireland.
Entitled ANAM, the Irish word for soul, the collection explores how the island's collective experiences inform modern identity.
Various themes in Irish history are explored including the relationship between faith and people of Ireland, the Famine, emigration, the Troubles, loneliness and human connection.
“This exhibition is an exploration of what it means to be from the island of Ireland. What it means to be Irish, Northern Irish, or both. There are things that are so deeply woven into our identity that we barely recognise they are part of us. But we are all products of our past," she said.
Ms McKeever previously studied medicine in Glasgow and worked across Ireland, the UK, Australia and New Zealand for 10 years before coming back to Belfast in 2016 and opening the Ormeau Road gallery last year.
ANAM is open to the public from today at the Anna McKeever Gallery, Level 2, 455 Ormeau Road.
Further details can be found online at www.annamckeever.com.
