The MAC presents three new exhibitions exploring climate, nature and our changing world
The Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) is delighted to present three new exhibitions this autumn which continue its Climate in Action programming strand and its organisation-wide commitment to addressing climate and environmental change.
Together, these exhibitions reveal how human actions reverberate through diverse ecosystems, from the deep sea to the shifting boundaries of earth and atmosphere. By weaving together these perspectives, they underscore that the health of our planet is inseparable from human choices, and that understanding and caring for nature across its many forms is vital to confronting the global climate crisis.
In the Upper Gallery, Last Act by artist Marie Hanlon in collaboration with composer Rhona Clarke is a synchronised video installation that presents climate change as both real and abstract.
Bookended by stark imagery of empty industrial spaces, the work connects our industrial past and present to the unfolding climate crisis. Weather events including droughts, floods, wildfires and melting ice gradually build to a widescreen image of dark, engulfing waters, offering a haunting meditation on environmental fragility. The accompanying choral score, based on the Latin poem Dies Irae (Day of Wrath), amplifies the work’s emotional power and slow, reflective rhythm.
In the Tall Gallery, William McKeown: And that moment the bird sings very close/ To the music of what happens celebrates the late Irish artist’s profound belief in the openness and life-enhancing power of nature.
Guided by a philosophy that feeling is primary, McKeown’s paintings appear minimalist yet evoke deep emotional resonance. His subtle gradations of tone and light transform the canvas into a window onto the natural world, an invitation to pause, breathe and reconnect with the infinite.
In the Sunken Gallery, artist Niamh Seana Meehan presents Sea Skin, an immersive installation featuring a tactile soft sculpture inspired by sea swimming and encounters beneath the ocean’s surface.
Drawing on research visits to the islands of West Cork, Meehan uses texture and colour to reflect the rich diversity of seaweed along the coastline. Visitors are invited to recline within the work and listen to a soundscape that weaves a speculative narrative centred on “wet survival” in the ocean’s depths, creating a space for reflection and sensory immersion.
Together, these three exhibitions invite audiences to consider their place within a rapidly changing environment and to find moments of connection, empathy and hope.
Hugh Mulholland, Creative Director (Visual Arts) at the MAC, said:
“Through these exhibitions, we want to create space for reflection and awareness around the climate crisis. Each artist approaches the theme from a distinct perspective, from the vastness of the atmosphere to the intimacy of a single wave, reminding us that art can help us see the world differently and inspire us to act with greater care for the planet we share.”
All three exhibitions open on Thursday 9 October 2025 and run until Sunday 11 January 2026. Admission is free with a suggested donation of £5.
Follow the MAC on social media at @theMACbelfast for updates and behind-the-scenes insights.
