Jennifer Trouton: Looking at the Overlooked , 2000 -2001, oil and photographic transfer on board, 104 times 14.5 x 14.5 cm; courtesy the artist

Here is one for you: what do Belfast and Liverpool have in common? For those of you thinking trademark accents, a funky sense of fashion, and that rebel spirit - shame on you! I thought of it first. Recently, however, there has been a different type of connection between these two slowly rejuvenating cities. Dare we even say an art connection? Running almost in conjunction this summer were two exhibitions : The Irish Connection: Eight Artists Working in Ireland on display at the viewtwogallery in Liverpool and New Works on Paper showing at the Fenderesky Gallery in Belfast. While not specifically meant as sister exhibitions, obvious overlaps between the two unmasked Belfast as a centre rich with artistic talent quietly inching its way into the international art scene.

Let's take this interesting statistic, for example: six out of the eight participating artists in The Irish Connection: Eight Artists Working in Ireland were either living in or directly connected to Belfast. Perhaps this should come as no surprise since The Irish Connection was co-curated by Clement McAleer - a well known Irish painter living in Liverpool but still exhibiting at the Fenderesky Gallery in Belfast. Yet, it made me wonder: what does this somewhat eclectic grouping of artists have to say about the current Belfast art scene? Is Belfast slowly becoming a stronger international art force in Ireland?

What was made strikingly obvious by The Irish Connection was that the new generation of artists in Belfast know their paint (with a humble nod, of course, towards the more established Alfonso López Monreal who was also exhibiting). Queen Street Studio artists Jennifer Trouton, Jim McKevitt, and Gary Shaw take painting very seriously. Particularly stunning was the installation of one hundred and four small paintings (a work in progress) by Trouton. By placing meticulously executed paintings alongside other panels containing their photographic twins, Trouton skilfully manipulated the viewer's preconceptions surrounding still-life painting. Also confidently worked and demonstrative of an experienced painter were McKevitt's larger-than-life paintings of the cosmos. While perhaps the least substantial of the three painters, Shaw's tiny paintings based on Jockey's colours were still fresh, fanciful, and strong in their graphic appeal.

Couldn't make it to Liverpool? No bother. For those who were not adventurous enough to jump onto that asyJet plane, pieces by some of the artists from The Irish Connection were also on display in New Works on Paper at the Fenderesky Gallery in Belfast. This annual group exhibition provides Fenderesky with the opportunity to showcase the work of both Irish and international artists. And what a show it was! Taking over all three of the gallery's exhibition spaces, this exquisitely hung show offered up both critical and provocative work alongside a little bit of eye candy.

Fionnuala D'Arcy, Graham Gingles, and Clement McAleer were the three artists in New Works on Paper to crossover from The Irish Connection . And, to the benefit of the Belfast gallery-going crowd, their work shown at the Fenderesky Gallery was considerably more interesting. D'Arcy's tiny, shimmering, gem-like works in Belfast, for example, had much more presence than the ones hanging in Liverpool, making it obvious that Fenderesky kept the stronger pieces for show in the motherland. Also in the Fenderesky Gallery were small drawings of skeletons and men in balaclavas by Gingles. Still both mesmerizing and disturbing, it was refreshing seeing these drawings outside of his trademark boxes (the boxes themselves were on display in the viewtwogallery in Liverpool). The third treat to be found in New Works on Paper were the abstracted painterly landscapes by Clement McAleer, curator of The Irish Connection . McAleer flexed his muscles and with astute renderings of loose landscapes full of light and luminescent colour showed that he was definitely not a stranger when it came to paint.

While it is a shame that not all nineteen artists in New Works on Paper can be covered, mention must go to internationally known Dutch artist Tjibbe Hooghiemstra whose quirky spontaneous drawings on lined writing card demanded that you either love them or leave them, Austrian Anna O. Pappenheim with her almost edible graphic pastel squares annotated with delicate line drawings, and Dublin-born Ciaron Lennon with his layered, almost monochromatic gouaches on paper. One of New Works on Paper 's greatest strengths was this play between Irish and international artists as it showed that both Ireland and, consequently Belfast, could hold their own in an international context.

Of course, I will be the first to admit that it is unrealistic to believe that Belfast is the only city in Ireland to have its sticky fingers in the international art scene. Yet, in my heart of hearts, I would love to see a feisty community of international artists triumphantly slamming their roots down in Belfast. Why not? The talent, the opportunity, and the connections are there. The future awaits - although, perhaps it might be helpful if it came floating in a yellow submarine.

The Irish Connection: Eight Artists Working in Ireland , viewtwogallery, Liverpool, July/August, 2001
New Works on Paper , Fenderesky Gallery, Belfast, July/August, 2001