Welcome to the official website of  The Bogside Artists® 
                                    

"I am amazed by the outstanding quality of this art work."                                      John Hume Nobel Peace Laureate

       

Tom Kelly, Kevin Hasson  and Tom's brother William are the three men who created all of the eleven murals that constitute The People's Gallery® in the Bogside area of Derry in the North of Ireland. They have been working on their murals  project since 1993 when the group first formed. Their work represents the Bogside and its people's troubled history. It is their  story that fills its walls. 

That is why they took the name by which they become known worldwide - "The Bogside Artists".

                     These three men envisioned, painted and created  The People's Gallery®

Their open-air gallery of murals stands as a non-partisan human document that provides "a window into the heart of The Bogside and its people" (Prof. R. Helmick-Boston College). The murals stretch, in a line, for the entire length of Rossville Street in The Bogside, an area that experienced the worst of the troubles in the city.

The  gallery goes far beyond mere aesthetics or the values of the dilettante. It is designed to educate and commemorate. As Tom explains in the words of Bishop Desmond Tutu,...  "A  wound must be cleaned out and examined before it will heal. It is the unexamined wound that festers and finally poisons. Our work shows the wounds."

This determination to tell the story is what drives the trio. They translate a human story for all - a history of conflict within and without. 

THE  CREATION OF THE GALLERY

The People's Gallery depicts the key events in the Northern Irish 'Troubles' that began in October 1968. The artists used photographs from the period to render their images because they did not set out to interpret history but to show  it. The eleven murals provide a vital signature for the The Bogside and constitute an official tourist site that is unique. Thousands of visitors from all over the world flock to The Bogside each year, many to meet with the artists at their studio situated near the gallery. 
     
This site is of special interest to students of fine art, public art and history; to those intending to visit Ireland, or to anyone interested in Irish affairs in general or the work of The Bogside Artists in particular. Much of the information is in PDF format and printable.