Ormeau Baths Gallery

The Ormeau Baths Gallery is located on the site of what was the local swimming baths (hence the name) on Ormeau Avenue, just off the Dublin Road and Bedford Street. Admission to the gallery is free! *Woohoo* OBG is one of the most popular spaces for art exhibitions and is the most visited of our galleries. It spreads over two floors and has four different exhibition spaces which are kept very simple and sparse, clinical almost, which adds to its feel as this leaves room for the art to speak for itself. It can feel like you need sunglasses as soon as you step in to the viewing space, you get used to it though as soon as you concentrate on what’s on offer in front of you.
OBG run workshops for kids which is a great way of encouraging the creative talents of the younger generation. These workshops cost £3 and are run on Saturday mornings during an exhibition. See their website for more details pertaining to this.
When I visited most recently there was an exhibition on by Jack Doherty (a local, highly acclaimed ceramics artist) as well as an exhibition called Arrivals which really interested me… some of the ideas on offer included a huge circular chamber replicating a mouth which the person sat in and was treated to a recreation of very strange sounds, others included a choir singing in different tones which was based on the teaching of Confucius and lastly a huge ship sculpture made out of plastic bottles, very inspiring!
I love calling in here as it’s great to see what’s on offer from local talent, it’s up to date with both contemporary and historical works. You can relax and read some of their art books in the sectioned off area. As Colm notes its great to have a space where you don’t feel under pressure or uncomfortable. !

Ormeau baths is an art gallery that houses some of the new artists to arrive in Belfast as well as some of some more recognisable works. Keeping updated with the website is often quite important if you want to be kept aware of the many artists whose works are displayed here. The building itself is wonderful, the perfect spot to house art. Its large open plan spaces allow natural light to enter and illuminate the work without the need for artificial light, which at times can diminish the colour and texture of some pieces.
This place is definitely worth checking out if you have some free time. It is not uncomfortable or rigid which some galleries are, instead it has a relaxed atmosphere that is great after a busy day shopping or working in town.

I was here for the first time last week for the opening night of the Arrivals exhibition, showcasing the work of 18 Northern Irish artists and was very impressed by both the artwork on show and gallery itself.
The place was absolutely jammers with groups of (very attractive, as a friend observed) (and über fashionable as I observed) people nattering away, enjoying the art and the free wine.
The gallery used to be a Victorian bath house, which you can tell from the exterior. The interior is vast, spread over two floors, open plan, airy, white and calming. I always find art galleries to be a place of refuge from the outside world. A place where you can get lost in the art and be inspired.
The art on show is of a high standard. The gallery seems to be clued in and innovative with young local people curating the shows, which is conducive to a vibrant arts scene.
The exhibition I attended also had an performance piece where some members of Belfast band Not Squares played on two drums kits (so loud visitors required ear-​plugs) and synths whilst dressed in futuristic spacey costumes. It looked like something from Nathan Barley, but the music was bloody fantastic.
I’ll definitely be dropping into Ormeau Baths more often.

The Ormeau Baths Gallery reaches its full height when there is a particularly outstanding exhibition on show, as was the case when I visited the other
day to see the «New Arrivals» which included intriguing installations and sculpture by various emergent artists.
It is refreshing to spend time in a gallery, where you can just walk in any time during the day, which is dedicated to showing work of an international standard that reflects the contemporary art scene without so much reference to the commercial side of things.
The Ormeau Baths gallery is quite large, ranging over two floors, and always a great place to take time out from your work or any other mundane things that needs to be done.
The other thing I like is a good browse of the latest art journals or books when I’m here; it’s a chance to open a small window to the wider art world outside Northern Ireland.