The Stoop

The Stoop opens at The Naughton Gallery at Queens on Thursday 29 October, and it stays on until 22 December. It's a sister project to the gallery's 2025 exhibition, The Big Neighbourhood, and it looks at the communities that grow around shared cultural spaces and practices.

Rather than grand histories, the exhibition focuses on the informal, often overlooked environments where cultural movements actually start. It draws on music scenes, fashion movements, queer nightlife, and everyday sites of care and creativity to consider how identities are formed, performed, and sustained collectively. If you've ever thought about the small, unofficial spots that end up shaping a whole scene, that's exactly the kind of thing it's getting at.

The gallery itself is named after its benefactors, Martin and Carmel Naughton, and has been one of Belfast's most sought-after visual arts platforms since 2001. It runs a rolling programme of works from the University's own collection, touring exhibitions, and shows by local and international artists, and it's a registered museum. You'll find it in the Lanyon Building at Queen's University Belfast, BT7 1NN.

There's an opening reception on the first night, 29 October, from 5.30pm to 8pm, so that's the best time to catch it if you want to see it launch. After that, the gallery is open 11am to 4pm daily, and entry is free.