Derry artist brings the city's memories to life in first solo exhibition

Derry artist Annie Coyle will stage her first solo exhibition this October, bringing together a collection of paintings inspired by the streets, buildings and familiar places of Derry and Donegal.

Stories from the Streets will take place at the Gallery of Reflection, 16 Bishop Street, Derry, from Thursday, October 8 to Sunday, October 11 2026. The exhibition will feature approximately 12-15 works, including original paintings, prints and brand-new pieces being unveiled for the first time. Works will be available to purchase.

The exhibition explores the connection between place and memory - from well-known landmarks to ordinary buildings, streets, workplaces and meeting places which might easily be overlooked, but which hold deeply personal associations for the people who know them.

At the heart of Stories from the Streets are places that have played a part in the everyday lives of generations of local people. Among the featured works are Annie's painting of Derry's former Stardust Club and A Stitch in Time, her depiction of the former Rosemount Factory. Rather than simply recording the buildings themselves, the paintings explore what these places represent to the people who remember them.

“The thing I love most is what happens when somebody recognises one of the places I’ve painted. They don’t just say, ‘I remember that.’ They start telling you what happened there - who they went with, where they worked, nights out, people they knew and things they’d almost forgotten.”

“That’s where the title Stories from the Streets came from. The painting might be mine, but very often the story belongs to the person looking at it.”

From dance halls and workplaces to pubs, streets and familiar landmarks across Derry and Donegal, the exhibition looks at how seemingly ordinary places become part of personal and collective memory.

The exhibition also represents a significant milestone in Annie's own story as an artist. Based in Derry, Annie began painting only a few years ago while recovering from treatment for breast cancer. What began during a difficult period gradually developed into a serious artistic practice, with her work finding an audience drawn to its distinctive interpretation of familiar local scenes.

Earlier this year, one of Annie's works was exhibited as part of the Glebe Gallery's Easter Exhibition. Stories from the Streets marks the next step in that journey - her first exhibition devoted entirely to her own work.

“If someone had told me a few years ago that I would be putting on my own solo exhibition in Derry, I don’t think I would have believed them. There’s something particularly special about having my first exhibition here and showing paintings of places that mean something to local people.”

Visitors will be able to see a mixture of original paintings and fine art prints, with works available to purchase throughout the exhibition. Annie hopes visitors will not only recognise some of the locations on the walls, but will bring their own memories and stories with them.