The Kilkenny Portrait Show 2026 Opens Tomorrow, 13 June at 2pm

An Chéad Tine Art Gallery is thrilled to open The Kilkenny Portrait Show 2026 tomorrow, Saturday 13 June at 2pm, a vibrant celebration of contemporary portraiture featuring 82 exceptional artists from across the island of Ireland. This year’s exhibition promises to be one of the most exciting cultural moments in Kilkenny’s summer calendar, bringing together an extraordinary range of talent, vision, and artistic voice.

Open to all artists over 18 living anywhere in Ireland or Northern Ireland, the exhibition continues our commitment to fair access, artistic excellence, and national visibility for both emerging and established practitioners.

A Showcase of Craft, Skill & Imagination

Artists were invited to submit handmade works in traditional media including oil, acrylic, watercolour, gouache, pastels, charcoal, pencil, ink, mixed media, sculpture, and ceramics. To honour the craft of hand‑created work, photography and digital printouts were not eligible.

Portraiture has been interpreted in every imaginable way, from bold abstraction to meticulous realism, with one shared requirement: each work must clearly represent or imply the human figure. No animals or pets were permitted as the primary subject.

Exhibition Dates

Opening Event: Saturday, 13 June at 2pm Exhibition Runs Until: Sunday, 26 July at 5pm

Prize Announcement

A prize for Best Portrait will be awarded during the opening event on Saturday, 13th June at 2pm, with the winner announced on the day.

2026 Selector: Salvatore of Lucan

We are honoured to welcome acclaimed painter Salvatore of Lucan as this year’s selector. Born in Dublin in 1994, Salvatore is an Irish–Bangladeshi artist celebrated for his emotionally charged, psychologically rich figurative paintings. His work blends humour, vulnerability, and autobiographical insight, capturing the atmospheres of domestic life, friendship, and everyday rituals.

A graduate of NCAD (BA Fine Art Painting, 2016), he has rapidly become one of the most distinctive voices in Irish painting, with major solo exhibitions at Kevin Kavanagh Gallery and international presentations in Switzerland. His work has appeared in the RHA Annual Exhibitions, GENERATION2022 at Butler Gallery, the Zurich Portrait Prize exhibitions at the National Gallery of Ireland, and the 6th Biennial of Painting in Zagreb. His paintings are held in significant public collections including The Arts Council of Ireland, The National Gallery of Ireland, and The King’s Inns.

Winner of the Zurich Portrait Prize 2021, Salvatore has also received multiple Arts Council awards and undertaken residencies at IMMA’s Dean Art Studios and Cow House Studios.

Sales & Commissions

• Works may be for sale, though this is not required

• A 25% commission applies to sales during the exhibition

• A 20% commission applies to portrait commissions arising from the show

  
  

With Thanks to Our Sponsors

This exhibition would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors, whose commitment to the arts ensures that opportunities like this continue to thrive in Kilkenny. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who contributed, your support directly empowers artists and strengthens the cultural life of our city.

Curated by Mary Doyle Burke, artist, facilitator, and founding director of An Chéad Tine Art Gallery & Studios, the 2026 Portrait Show reflects her long‑standing commitment to accessibility, artist development, and community‑centred exhibition making. Mary is a Kilkenny‑based visual artist whose practice spans painting, sculpture, biomaterial research, and ritual‑based installation. Her work draws on ecological cycles, intergenerational memory, and the sensory textures of Irish moorlands, bogs, and wetlands — a material sensitivity that deeply informs her curatorial approach.

Across her career, Mary has curated and produced major exhibitions including the annual Kilkenny Portrait Show, the Sustainable Exhibition, Annual Members’ Exhibitions, solo shows, festival‑period programmes, and interdisciplinary projects for Science Week Ireland and Bealtaine Living Earth Festival. She has also developed artist studios, mentorship programmes, and public workshops, building sustainable structures that support long‑term artistic growth.

Her leadership integrates EDI principles, robust governance, and audience‑focused engagement, ensuring that exhibitions are both culturally resonant and operationally strong. Mary holds a B.A. in Visual Art (SETU) and a Level 9 Professional Diploma in Art & Ecology (NCAD FIELD), and has delivered biomaterial, STEAM, and creative technology workshops across museums, galleries, and community settings. She has received support from Arts Council Ireland, Kilkenny Arts Office, CALMAST WIT, the Heritage Council, and other national partners.

Through her combined roles as artist, curator, and facilitator, Mary Doyle Burke brings depth, care, and vision to the Kilkenny Portrait Show 2026, shaping an exhibition that celebrates craft, champions artists, and strengthens the cultural life of Kilkenny and beyond.