Exhibitions and Displays
I studied Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Ulster, graduating with a BA Honours in 2010, and attended the International Summer Academy of Fine Art in Salzburg in 2011. My paintings have been exhibited across Northern Ireland and internationally, including at the Golden Thread Gallery, The Engine Room Gallery, and Royale Arcade Studios.
My work is held in public and private collections throughout the UK, including the University of Ulster and the Ulster Hospital.
About Emma Kinlough
I’m an abstract artist based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. My work explores the quiet tension between movement and stillness - where layers of paint become a record of both emotion and restraint. Working from my studio, I build each piece through a process of pouring, scraping, and rebuilding, allowing intuition to guide what remains.
“My paintings evolve through dialogue - between intention and accident, between control and release. It’s in that space of uncertainty that something honest emerges.”
Rooted in material experimentation, I work with oils, acrylics, and household paints to explore the physicality of surface and texture. Each canvas develops organically, responding to the flow of colour and the marks left behind.
My practice has been shaped by a deep fascination with the way paint moves and transforms - how it can hold a feeling long after words fall away.
