The highly anticipated Kilkenny Portrait Show 2025 returns, celebrating the very best of contemporary portraiture from across Ireland. We are delighted to announce that this year’s esteemed Selector is none other than Bernadette Kiely, Aosdána.
Based in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, Bernadette is renowned for her large-scale works exploring memory, environment and human connection. Her ‘memory portraits’ have captured figures such as the late painter Barrie Cooke and actor Stephen Rea, while her striking portrait of Paul Mosse in his studio was shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Awards 2022 and now resides in the Butler Gallery collection.
“Bernadette’s work embodies a profound sense of memory and place, making her an exceptional choice to select this year’s show. We can’t wait to see the diverse and thought-provoking submissions from artists across Ireland.” - Curator and An Chéad Tine Director Mary Doyle Burke.
Born in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary, Bernadette studied at the School of Art & Design in Waterford (SETU) and the Slade School of Fine Art, London. She initially worked in advertising, architecture, and graphic design in London and New York before transitioning to full-time painting in the early 1990s. She now lives and works on the quayside of the River Nore in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny.
Bernadette's work is driven by an intimate connection to place, memory, and environmental change. Her paintings and works on paper explore the passage of time, the fragility of the physical world, and the impact of flooding, mist, and fog on landscapes and human lives. Inspired by her childhood experiences of frequent flooding in Carrick-on-Suir, she has spent over 25 years capturing these themes, growing in intensity alongside the urgency of the climate crisis. Her work prompts viewers to reassess their relationship with the environment, often using imagery sourced from her own photography, TV broadcasts, newspapers, and online documentaries.
She has completed residencies at Ballinglen Arts Foundation (Mayo), Cill Rialaig Artists’ Retreat (Kerry), and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre (Monaghan). Her exhibitions include ‘Don’t Need No Country, Don’t Fly No Flag’ at the Paintworks Gallery, Galway, which poet Rita Ann Higgins described as "a wonder... a haunting exhibition that lingers in the mind" (Irish Examiner, September 8th, 2024).
Recent notable exhibitions also include the Contemporary British Painting Prize 2022 (Huddersfield Art Gallery and Thames Side Gallery, London, UK), the Zurich Portrait Prize 2022 (National Gallery of Ireland and Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny), and ‘one touch of nature [makes the whole world kin]’ (Taylor Galleries, 2020).
Bernadette has been represented by Taylor Galleries, Dublin, since the mid-1990s, and her work is held in numerous private and public collections, including AIB, University Hospital Cork, the OPW / State Art Collection, the National Self Portrait Collection (Limerick), and the George Moore Society. She was elected to Aosdána in 2007.
Call for Entries – Open Submission
Artists over 18 from across the island of Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) are invited to submit their portrait work for consideration. The competition is open to all hand-made media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, and ceramics, provided the figure is strongly implied.
Please note: Photography and digital printouts are not eligible.
Key Dates for Your Calendar:
Submission Deadline: March 14th, 2025 (10 pm)
Selection Announcement: March 19th, 2025
Artwork Delivery: March 21st – 23rd, 2025
Exhibition Run: March 29th – April 26th, 2025
Artwork Collection: April 28th, 2025 (12 pm – 4:30 pm)
Prize: €1,000 awarded to the Best Portrait.
Venue: An Chéad Tine Art Gallery, Kilkenny.
A submission fee of €20 applies, with a maximum of two entries per artist. Sales commissions are set at 25% during the exhibition and 20% for commissions arising from the show.
Exhibition Details
Curated by Mary Doyle Burke, the Kilkenny Portrait Show 2025 promises an exceptional showcase of artistic talent, highlighting contemporary interpretations of portraiture. This exhibition will provide artists a significant platform to present their work to a wide audience in a professional gallery setting. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity. Click the link below for full details on how to enter.