Artist and author Oliver Jeffers is holding his first exhibition in his hometown of Belfast in over 20 years. The show, titled "Disasters and Interventions," is on view at the Naughton Gallery at Queen's University and features a series of works where Jeffers inserts calamitous scenes—such as an oil tanker spill or an airship crash—into tranquil vintage landscapes, transforming calm into catastrophe. The project began when he found a discarded print in New York's Chinatown and began painting into it, eventually building a collection over 14 years that balances tragedy with a wry, thoughtful humor.
This exhibition matters because it marks a homecoming for one of the most successful figures in contemporary children's literature, whose books have sold 18 million copies worldwide. Jeffers recently returned to live in Northern Ireland after years in the US, and the show offers a rare chance to see his fine-art practice—distinct from his celebrated picture books—in his native city. It also highlights how a globally recognized author-illustrator continues to evolve as a visual artist, using found imagery to comment on instability and resilience in the modern world.