John Rainey, Enda Burke & Peter Bradley in Conversation

Join artists John Rainey, Enda Burke and Peter Bradley for a special Gallery Lates conversation chaired by Andrew Hetherington of the National Gallery of Ireland.

Taking place within John Rainey’s exhibition Deviations, the discussion will explore how each artist approaches portraiture today, reflecting on identity, image-making and the enduring relevance of the human figure in contemporary art. Through a selection of key works from their own practices, alongside international artists who have shaped their thinking, the panel will consider the different ways portraiture can observe, construct and challenge how we see ourselves and others.

Galway artists Enda Burke and Peter Bradley, both shortlisted for the AIB Portrait Prize 2025 at the National Gallery of Ireland, join John Rainey for what promises to be a lively conversation about artistic practice, influence and the changing language of portraiture.

The evening will conclude by looking ahead to the AIB Portrait Prize exhibition, which will be coming to Galway Arts Centre in 2027.

Gallery Lates is Galway Arts Centre’s after-hours programme of talks, performances and events, offering new ways to encounter contemporary art in an informal setting.

John Rainey is a sculptor based in Belfast. He received an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art (London, 2012), and a BA in Contemporary Crafts from Manchester Metropolitan University (2009). Rainey’s work has had solo presentations at Marsden Woo Gallery (London, 2013), Golden Thread Gallery (Belfast, 2016), Naughton Gallery (2021) and BERG Gallery (Stockholm, 2019, 2022). His sculptures are held in public collections including the UK Government Art Collection, the Irish National Collection, the Ulster Museum, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Collection.

Enda Burke is a photographer based in Galway. His practice involves constructing elaborate sets and crafting narratives featuring family and friends, with a heavy dose of nostalgia, vibrant color, religion, Irish identity, and all things kitsch. Drawn to the strange monotony of everyday domestic life, Enda uses bright colors, deliberate artifice, and a playful nod to Catholic iconography to turn ordinary moments into surreal, cinematic scenes. His work has been featured in The Guardian and Rolling Stone, and he has been shortlisted twice for the Sony World Photography Awards and twice the AIB portrait award among other international recognitions.

Peter Bradley is a painter and mixed media artist working primarily with the human figure to explore themes of identity. Since graduating from the painting department of Limerick School of Art and Design (2014), Bradley has had solo exhibitions with the Galway International Arts Festival (2024), Linenhall Arts Centre (2022), and 126 Galway (2021) and has exhibited in a two person show with the Highlanes Gallery (2025). Bradley has been included in group shows at The Royal Hibernian Academy, The Royal Ulster Academy, and The Butler Gallery, among others. He was shortlisted for the Hennessy Portrait prize (2016), Zurich Portrait Prize (2018), and AIB Portrait Prize (2025). He has received the Anita Young Bursary award from the RHA (2025), the Tyrone Guthrie Residency Award from the Galway City Council (2017) and the R.C. Lewis Crosby Award for Painting (2013). Bradley lives and works in Galway City.

This talk takes place as part of our late night programme “Gallery Lates” supported by Galway City Council and the Department of Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sports as part of the Galway City Night-Time Economy Action Plan.

Feature Image: Tom Flanagan