Decoys and Ghosts at the Golden Thread Gallery is an ambitious exploration of two recurring sculptural themes in John Rainey’s work over the last 10 years – imitation and revisiting. Materials, their histories and associated processes have always formed a core component of his practice.

In the staging of work in exhibitions, Rainey aims to create environments and designed experiences where groupings of sculptures form relationships and act as installations. Plinths become sculptural extensions, evolve into dioramas, or morph into viewing platforms for audiences to climb.

This exhibition will feature a combination of retrospective and new work by the artist, centered around a new large scale installation. As the the broadest survey of Rainey’s work to-date, it will be an opportunity to explore recent developments in his practice, alongside works that trace his path to this current moment.

John Rainey is a sculptor based in Belfast. He received an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art (London, 2012), and a BA in Contemporary Crafts from Manchester Metropolitan University (2009).

Rainey’s work has had solo presentations at Marsden Woo Gallery (London, 2013), Golden Thread Gallery (Belfast 2016) Naughton Gallery (2021) and BERG Gallery (Stockholm, 2019, 2022), and has featured in group exhibitions including AWARD at the British Ceramics Biennial (2019). His sculptures are held in public collections including the UK Government Art Collection, the Irish National Collection, the Ulster Museum, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Collection.

Rainey was the recipient of ACNI’s British School at Rome Fellowship in 2018 and the Rosemary James Memorial Trust Bursary in 2023.