Bodyshots

Opening night: Thursday 17 April, Late Night Art East 6–8:30pm

Bodyshots are blows received to the torso during combat that weaken the opponent.  

Bodyshots is an exhibition about stomach cancer and how resilience, community and love are important actors in facing this disease. The body of work offers an honest and uncompromising mixture of hope, insight and reality. The exhibition is set in a ‘ward ’ context, using images of Paul’s scars and weight loss to illustrate the impact of the various assaults to his body during the 12 months through diagnosis and treatment.

Alongside imagery, a selection of messages exchanged with friends and loved ones illustrates the daily mixture of the critical and the mundane. Bodyshots does not directly document Paul’s experience battling this disease, it is rather a celebration of the love from his community, a village of people who carried him home and set him down gently.

Biographies  

Paul Marshall is from Bangor, Co Down. He works in Photo / Video / 3D and Virtual design.  

Paul graduated MFA with Distinction in 2025 and teaches video part time on the photography degree course at Belfast School of Art . 

Jim Maginn MFA is a respected photographer known for his black and white portraits. Jim’s collaboration on Bodyshots has been critical. 

Part of Northern Ireland Mental Health Arts Festival.