Born in 1970 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Resides and works in Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Exhibitions

2025

Beyond the Tide (pending solo exhibition 2-22 October), Ards Arts Centre, Newtownards, Northern Ireland

Half Time (group exhibition), Arcade Studios, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Seen/Unseen (solo exhibition), Belfast Exposed, Belfast, Northern Ireland

2024

Beyond the Tide (solo exhibition), Arts for All, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Change Through the Lens (group exhibition), Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre, Northern Ireland

2023

We the Human: A Quiet Blue Wall (collaborative group exhibition), ONCA, Brighton, England

Curation

2023

Mosaic of the Soul by Mahmood Babalola; curation of a one-month pop-up solo art exhibition, Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Grants/Awards

2024 & 2025

SANE Creative Award, SANE, London

2023

Support for Individual Artists Programme (emerging artist grant), Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Other

2025

Panel discussion and artist talk at Belfast Exposed’s international Healing Through Photography - Trauma & the Art of Recovery Conference 2025

Additional artist talks to the National Autistic Society, Outside In and Northern Ireland Group for Art as Therapy (pending)

2024

Undertaking a Master of Fine Art in Photography at University of Ulster

2023

Associate Member of Visual Arts Ireland

Biography

Born in 1970 and based in Ballymena, David McKinney is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Art in Photography at the University of Ulster. His artistic journey started when he discovered the healing potential of photography through Belfast Exposed’s therapeutic photography programme. This newfound creative outlet became a powerful tool for self-expression and recovery, paving the way for his first solo exhibition, Beyond the Tide, in 2024. Supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, this milestone marked McKinney’s emergence as an important voice in therapeutic art. He has also received continued recognition from the SANE Creative Awards Scheme.

Artist Statement

My practice explores the interplay between mental health and ecological consciousness through the lens of therapeutic photography in nature. Drawing on eco-philosophy, I create visual narratives that reflect emotional landscapes through embedded engagement with the more-than-human world. Using experimental and intuitive photographic techniques, I develop abstracted and metaphorical representations of nature, weaving together my inner experience with ecological observations. Through this approach I aim to challenge anthropocentric narratives and reframe mental well-being within a wider, interconnected ecological context.