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Ulster University presents 'The Shapes of Change', an exhibition bringing together paintings by Joseph McWilliams (1938–2015) and his son Simon McWilliams, two artists whose work captures different moments of transformation in Northern Ireland’s recent history.

Both have strong links to the University: Joseph taught for many years as a lecturer in Fine Art, shaping generations of emerging artists, while Simon studied at Ulster University as an undergraduate before continuing his training at the Royal Academy Schools in London.

The exhibition contrasts two eras. For Joseph McWilliams, painting during the Troubles meant confronting the realities of conflict and its impact on the urban landscape — buildings marked by damage, streets filled with tension, and the resilience of daily life. For Simon McWilliams, working in the decades of economic expansion, the focus shifted to construction, growth, and renewal. His paintings explore the frameworks and structures that defined a changing modern Ireland.

Seen together, their work traces a shared fascination with the built environment and its role as witness to both destruction and progress. The Shapes of Change reflects not only two generations of painters, but also two visions of a society in motion — rebuilding, redefining, and reimagining itself through time.

BIOGRAPHY

Joe McWilliams was born in Belfast in 1938. He studied at the Belfast College of Art and at the Open University. Later he lectured in Art Education at the Ulster Polytechnic in Belfast and was Senior Lecturer and Senior Course Tutor at the University of Ulster. Since 1986 he and his wife, artist Catherine McWilliam, managed the Cave Hill Gallery, Belfast. He has had numerous solo exhibitions and been represented in major Irish group shows both in Ireland and abroad; his work was seen in exhibition entitled 'Dreams and Traditions: 300 Years of British and Irish Painting' from the Ulster Museum Collection which toured the USA in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institute, Washington. His work is held in numerous collections including: Arts Council NI, Queen's University, Coras Iompair Éireann, the Department of the Environment (NI), AIB, and the National Self Portrait Collection of Ireland.

Simon McWilliams (1970) Studied painting at the Royal Academy Schools in London, he has received almost 30 awards for his paintings in the last 20 years including the Guinness Award at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London, a Major Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Perpetual Gold Medal and Silver Medals from the Royal Ulster Academy. For more than 30 years Simon McWilliams has proven himself to have a unique painterly voice gathering accolades and awards in the USA, London and Ireland.