Summer Research Snapshot: Thomas Wells

Thomas is a Belfast-based visual artist who originally arrived in the city for what was meant to be a two-month artists residency, and ended up staying for around a decade. With family roots in Malin Head, Donegal, Thomas has a strong personal connection to the north of Ireland that continues to shape his life and work.

Thomas belongs to ‘Array Collective’ - a group of 11 Belfast-based artists who won the Turner Prize in 2021 for The Druithaib's Ball, an installation featuring a shebeen (an illicit Irish pub). Alongside their artistic practice, Thomas has been actively involved in campaigns for same-sex marriage equality and reproductive rights in Northern Ireland. Thomas is currently in the midst of installing a major exhibition in New York, the culmination of a two-year project.

Supervised by Emma Campbell and Dominic Thorpe, Thomas' PhD focuses on the intersection of feminist and queer liberation movements in Northern Ireland, particularly in the period after 2010, which Thomas sees as relatively under-researched. Through a practice-led approach, Thomas’ doctoral research explores how hyper-local forms of resistance can create the conditions for wider social change. The 2015 Marriage Equality referendum and the 2018 Repeal campaigns in the Republic (allowing safe, legal and free abortion) were discussed as important catalysts that energised activism in the North. 

Thomas reflected on social media as a new political battleground, where invisible and often well-funded influences can be harder to challenge than more traditional forms of power. Thomas feels well supported in his doctoral journey, drawing on both supervisory guidance and a strong network of Co-Create peers, colleagues and collaborators.