Ten Incredible Highlights from This Year's Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition

The annual Royal Ulster Academy exhibition returned to the Ulster Museum, Belfast on October 14 for its 135th edition. It will run until January 8, 2017.

It comprises 125 works by members in addition to 165 selected works, and works from 38 invited artists, including 12 students from this year’s Belfast College of Art graduates.

The invited artists this year are mainly sculptors but the exhibition also includes paintings, prints, photographs, video and mixed media works.

Selection from open submission forms the largest group in the exhibition and this year works were selected from an entry of almost 1,300.

Exhibiting artists include Robert Ballagh, Kyle Barnes, David Crone RUA, Rita Duffy PPRUA, Denise Ferran PRUA, Graham Gingles RUA, Vera Klute, Rosie McGurran RUA and Janet Mullarney.

Seven of the Academy’s members who sadly passed away in the last twelve months are commemorated with two works each in the exhibition, together with individual obituaries and accompanying photographs in the catalogue.

There's also work from Marcus Patton VPRUA, John Rainey, Dermot Seymour ARUA, Anushiya Sundarlingham, Jennifer Trouton RUA, Lucy Turner, Corban Walker and Keith Wilson RUA.

Kim Mawhinney, Head of Art, National Museums Northern Ireland, said that she was particularly 'delighted to see the large number of sculptural works in the show' this year.

There's also a wide range of events in activities accompanying the exhibition throughout its 13 weeks, including tours, workshops, master classes and talks. Full details here.

Christopher Le Brun, President of the Royal Academy in London, is both an invited artist and was this year’s adjudicator of the gold, silver and bronze medal awards.

The Ulster Museum is open Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm. Admission is free. For more information visit http://www.royalulsteracademy.org/annual-exhibition.