Xander: Signs of Life: Gormleys Belfast

Gormleys presents an exhibition by contemporary artist Xander, taking place in Gormleys Belfast from 10th - 24th January 2026.

A graduate of the Ulster University art school in Belfast, Xander’s work is grounded in oil painting, showing a strong influence from Surrealism but with his own distinctive poetic twist.

Through blending formative memories, personal associations and the landscape around his hometown into dreamlike scenes, his compositions often look realistic yet evoke a poetic, evocative quality, sometimes touching on uncanny or symbolic imagery.

“The settings of my paintings- a vast plain of sand and piercing blue sky, try to capture the undifferentiated plain of Strangford Lough.” 

“When the tide goes out, it goes for miles, and there is nothing like it: a vast land of sand for miles, like a desert. In trying to capture this strange sense of unreal place, the throughline of the works is peculiar happenings out on the sands.”

“It has been mentioned that my work reminds people of Dali, and while my work has a kindred relationship with surrealism, philosophically, the pieces are very different. 

Surrealist works come from uncensored imagery which is dragged up during the artistic process: figures come from the artist’s subconscious and are placed without aesthetic or moral considerations."

“In comparison, my work is the product of a poetic imagination: it is the impact and potential of the figures that interests me, achieved through combining unexpected and seemingly unrelated subjects. 

“In that way, my work is not strictly surrealism, rather I would identify it as poeticism.” - Xander

 The official opening taking place on Saturday 10th January from 2 - 4 pm.