Karl Hagan’s paintings blend elements of image with abstraction. His works often explore themes of memory, identity, and the passage of time. Using photography and digital college in the early stages of the work brining a multiplicity of layers into the paintings, creating a sense of depth and complexity of the image, inviting viewers to contemplate the hidden narratives within his compositions. His paintings frequently feature fragmented forms and distorted figures, reflecting the fluid nature of memory and the subconscious. Through his work, Hagan seeks to capture the ephemeral and often ambiguous qualities of human experience.
EDUCATION
MA Fine Art (Distinction) Central Saint Martin’s 2023-25
BA Hons Fine Art (First Class Honours) Belfast School of Art 2015-18
Foundation Diploma Art and Design Belfast School of Art 2014-15
AWARDS
2025 Piano Nobile Painting Prize
2019 Royal Ulster Academy Award for Outstanding Student
2018 Queen Street Studios Graduate Exhibition Award
COLLECTIONS
Ulster University, Belfast School of Art’s Collection (public)
Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Collection (public)
Private collections
SOLO EXHIBITION
2020 ‘Detonation’, Gallery 545 Online, N. Ireland
TWO-PERSON EXHIBITION
2023 ‘The Space Between’ QSS Gallery, Belfast, N. Ireland
2019 ‘Alternate Perspective’, Platform Arts, Belfast, N. Ireland
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 ‘Grad Show’ Central Saint Martin’s, London, England
2025 ‘Roving Light’ QSS Gallery, Belfast, N.Ireland (Curated by Gerard Carson)
2025 ‘Elegiac Residue II’ Down Arts Centre, Downpatrick, N. Ireland
2025 ‘Elegiac Residue’ Belfast Print Workshop, N. Ireland
2024 ‘We Are QSS at 40’ QSS Gallery, Belfast, N. Ireland (Curated by Eamon Maxwell)
2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019 ‘Gallery 545: Contemporary Art of Northern Ireland #1, #2, #3, #4, #5’, Gallery 545 at the Island Arts Centre, Lisburn (2022-2024), Gallery 545 Online (2020), Gallery 545 at the Sea Holly Gallery, Belfast (2019), N. Ireland
2024 ‘Art at the Modernist House’, Gallery 545 at La Roche House, Belfast, N. Ireland
2021 ‘Portrait of Northern Ireland: Neither an Elegy nor a Manifesto’, Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast (curated by Shan McAnena)
2021, 2020 ‘Gallery 545 Group Exhibition, Gallery 545 at Blick Studios, N. Ireland
2021 ‘Artists on the Rise’, Gallery 545 at the Harrison, Belfast, N. Ireland
2019 ‘Artists in Focus’, Gallery 545 at the Island Arts Centre, Lisburn, N. Ireland
2019 ‘Summer Exhibition’, The Engine Room Gallery, Belfast, N. Ireland
2019 ‘Members’ Exhibition’, QSS Gallery, Belfast, N. Ireland
2019 ‘Degree Show’, University of Ulster, Belfast, N. Ireland
2018 ‘December Exhibition’, The Engine Room Gallery, Belfast, N. Ireland
2018 ‘British Embassy Gallery’ Bejing, China
2018 ‘Emergence II’, QSS Gallery, Belfast, N. Ireland
RESIDENCIES
2018/19 Artist in Residence, Fine Art Painting at the Belfast School of Art, University of Ulster
Selected Recognitions
Award-winning artists (Royal Ulster Academy Award for Outstanding Student)
Artist in Residence, University of Ulster, Belfast
Karl Hagan 