In the summer of 1984, while still a relative newcomer to Northern Ireland, I wandered into a basement gallery at the lower end of Belfast’s Malone Road, with a toddler’s buggy in tow. At the entrance, I hesitated, unsure as to whether this was a suitable place to bring a small child with sticky fingers. Then, out of the gloom, appeared a large, bearded man, with a mane of dark hair. “Come on in,” he said, in a soft, melodic voice, as he gently helped me and the buggy through the door.
To my shame, I cannot remember the name of the artist whose works were on the walls, but I vividly recall the immediate feeling that this was somehow a magical place, a place of welcome and creativity, a place where no novice to the art world should fear to tread.
The bearded man introduced himself as Jamshid Mirfenderesky, a name I struggled to take in. After all, I was still coming to terms with the twists and turns and contorted vowels of the Belfast vernacular – and this man, sure as hell, was not from Belfast. It turned out that he was Persian, a country whose rich cultural heritage he carried with dignity on his broad shoulders. He offered me a cup of mint tea and we spent a restorative half-hour together, until a wail of protest from the occupant of the buggy signalled that our time was up.
It was the first of numerous visits I would make to successive Fenderesky Galleries, where visitors were invariably received with quiet hospitality and absolutely no pressure to make a purchase. It struck me from the start that this was a gallery owner who simply loved art, whose mission was to spread the word, to advocate for and offer a showcase to both renowned and unknown artists, who considered what he did as a labour of love.
During that first visit, I shared with him my own interest in cultural affairs and told him that I was seeking out opportunities to work as an arts journalist here in my new home place. He suggested names of possible contacts and invited me to drop in whenever I was passing. It turned out to be an invaluable means of broadening my, extremely limited, knowledge of Northern Ireland’s visual arts scene.
Through successive exhibitions at the gallery, I became acquainted with the work of artists like Felim Egan, Diarmuid Delargy, David Crone, Mickey Donnelly, Clement McAleer, Fionnuala D’Arcy, Graham Gingles, Charles Tyrrell, Nuala Gregory and many more. Their names were initially unknown to me but, over time, they grew familiar, with Jamshid’s insightful explanations and philosophical analyses opening doors into intriguing creative perspectives.
Since his passing, many people have made reference to the value he placed on friendship, none more so than Nora Hickey M’Sichili, director of the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris, whose father, the stylish, gregarious art curator Ted Hickey, was a close friend. He agreed to play classical guitar at a memorial concert for Ted at the Crescent Arts Centre in 2006, an event which many present on the night have not forgotten – (see cover photograph).
In 2015, he collaborated with Nora on an exhibition of David Crone’s work in the beautiful Paris building that was once the Irish College and seminary, and is now dedicated to the promotion of Irish culture. She writes:
Publicity image from On Home Ground by David Crone at le Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris 5
” … David Crone’s On Home Ground [was] a major presentation of one of Northern Ireland’s most highly regarded painters, long championed by Jamshid … The resultant exhibition reflected his deep commitment to Northern Ireland artists, and his desire to bring the Northern Ireland visual arts scene into an international context”.
It is hard to believe that twelve years have passed since On the Other Side of Les Fleurs du Mal, in which some 21 artists responded to Jamshid’s invitation to submit work relating to Baudelaire’s controversial, exotic and glorious 1857 collection of poems.
Sculpture by Zoë Murdoch
From John Brown’s hybrid installation/assemblage/altarpiece/ tomb to Zoë Murdoch’s delicate skull-centred sculpture and Sophie Aghajanian’s exquisite Out of the Shadow monoprint, amongst others, Baudelaire’s poetic fixation with death, darkness and malevolent flowers found a series of thought-provoking expressions.
Out of the Shadow, monoprint by Sophie Agajanian
At his passing, on 22 April 2026, the County Tyrone landscape painter Clement McAleer paid a warm tribute, speaking for many of his fellow artists:
“Jamshid was a hugely talented and unique individual, who will be a great loss to the cultural life of this city and beyond. He was erudite, played guitar and painted, was generous and witty – and knew how to hang an exhibition better than anyone I have ever met”.
I end these thoughts with this simple, but profound summing up of Jamshid Mirfenderseky by the art critic Slavka Sverakova:
“ … a highly educated philosopher, with a discerning eye and an unfailing determination to support all generations of artists”.
Dr. Jamshid Mirfenderesky, artist, musician and proprietor of the Fenderesky Gallery in Belfast. Passed away on 22 April 2026
The Even Hand 