A graduate of the BA in Fine Art from 2006, Niall de Buitléar, has been announced as the recipient of the fourth annual Emerging Visual Artist Award. The initiative supports promising visual artists in Ireland with an award of 5,000 and a solo exhibition at Wexford Arts Centre. Following a national open competition selection process the selection was made from over one hundred and twenty submissions received. The award supports Niall to create a new body of work during the period of November 2009 to October 2010, which will be exhibited at Wexford Arts Centre in early 2011.

Niall is the current occupant of the Irish Artists' Residential Studio at the Red Stables in the St Annes Park, Dublin. In 2008 he had solo exhibitions at G126, Galway and at the Lab, Dublin. He has also participated in the two person exhibitions Histories Matter at Wexford Arts Centre, 2009 and One Way or Another at Queen Street Studios, 2007. His work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions including Dawning of an Aspect, Green on Red Gallery, Dublin 2009; Bookish: When Books Become Art, Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork, 2008; and An Exhibition In 5 Chapters, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, 2007. In 2006 and 2007 he completed a year long residency at Flax Art Studios in Belfast. In 2008 he undertook residencies at Ard Bia Berlin and the Limerick City Gallery of Art. For further information go to Niall's website and Wexford Arts Centre.