Aly Harte

About

Aly Harte is a Belfast-based artist working across abstract painting and performance. Rooted in grief, her visually bold practice explores the liminal space between joy and sadness, making work with both emotional depth and a place in everyday life.

Statement

My abstract painting and performance practice begins with grief. I am drawn to the liminal space between joy and sadness: the moment when both are present and neither can be easily named. Rather than describe grief literally, I let colour, gesture, movement and material carry its contradictions. I work intuitively, building layers and following the energy of a mark. Through painting and performance, I search for a form that can hold loss alongside delight. What first appears bright or playful may contain something more difficult beneath the surface; what feels heavy can still make room for beauty. I want the work to be visually compelling and accessible, while retaining its emotional depth. It should be possible to live with a piece and keep finding new things in it. My hope is to open a space where viewers can bring their own memories and feelings, and recognise the shifting ground between absence and presence, joy and sadness.

Education

• Master’s Degree in Fine Art (Distinction)
• BA (Hons) Fine Art (First Class)