Elaine Byrne

Elaine Byrne was awarded the 2026 RCSI Art Award for her work ‘Alessia’, a photographic print on archival paper, at the 196th RHA Annual Exhibition.

Elaine Byrne and RHA and RCSI professionals stand side-by-side inside a bright gallery space beside a large framed artwork depicting a swimmer underwater.

About the artist

Elaine Byrne is a highly regarded Irish contemporary artist whose practice spans photography, video, sculpture and installation.

She frequently uses individual subjects, landscapes, or constructed scenes to point toward larger questions about identity, belonging and human experience. Rather than presenting straightforward portraits or narratives, her photographs often invite viewers to consider what lies beneath the visible surface.

Dublin-based, she has exhibited widely in Ireland and internationally, and her work is held in major public and private collections, including the Arts Council of Ireland and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She is an Associate Member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (ARHA).