Bogside Artists

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The Bogside Artists are a trio of mural painters from Derry, Northern Ireland, consisting of Tom Kelly, his brother William Kelly, and Kevin Hasson (b. January 8, 1958).^[1] Their most famous work, a series of outdoor murals called the People's Gallery, is located in the Bogside neighbourhood of Derry and depicts the events surrounding sectarian violence and civil rights protests in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

[edit] Career

The Bogside Artists first began working together in 1993 to document the events surrounding the Northern Ireland Troubles. With supplies donated from local residents, they painted several murals on the walls of Rossville Street buildings commemorating the Battle of Bogside and Bloody Sunday. From 1994 to 2008, they painted a total of twelve murals, which they named the People's Gallery. The People's Gallery spans the entire length of Rossville Street, which runs through the center of the Bogside. It was in this area on 30 January 1972 that 13 civilians were killed by British Army paratroopers in the Bloody Sunday disturbances (an additional civilian died later). The murals were officially inaguarated in August 2007 and an additional mural dedicated to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and retired leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, John Hume was completed in 2008.^[2]

The Bogside Artists have exhibited their work in various places, including Boston and Washington, D.C. They have painted a number of other works, most notably a mural of Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington D.C.^[3]

In addition to their work as muralists, the Bogside Artists also conduct art workshops with local Catholic and Protestant children in order to promote cross-community understanding.^[4]

They were also featured in the documentaries What You See Is What You Get and Window on the West.^[5]^[6]

[edit] Controversy

In November 2005, Walter Momper, president of the Berlin State Parliament, cancelled a planned exibihition of the Bogside murals in the parliament building. He criticized the artists for their "partiality" in only representing one side of the conflicts in Northern Ireland.^[7] The artists stated that the murals are intended to be "a human document" rather than a political or sectarian statement.^[8]

[edit] Mural gallery

Bernadette.	Operation Motorman.	The Saturday Matinee, The Rioter.	Petrol Bomber, Battle of the Bogside.
Bloody Sunday, January 30th, 1972.	Hunger Strike, Raymond McCartney.	Bloody Sunday Victims.	The Runner.
The Civil Rights Mural - The Beginning.	The Death of Innocence (July 31, 2007)		Westland Road in the Bogside, viewed from the city wall (July 31, 2007)