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arts · Thursday 16 July 2026 · Various 
Nadette Charlet Solo Exhibition - Cnoc Bui Arts Centre, Union Hall
At Cnoc Bui Arts Centre · Union Hall, Glandore Harbour, Co. Cork
At Cnoc Bui Arts Centre · Union Hall, Glandore Harbour, Co. Cork
Belgian-born painter Nadette Charlet brings a solo exhibition of bold figurative work to Cnoc Buí Arts Centre in Union Hall this July. The show is the 2026 Cnoc Buí Exhibition Award winner - an annual prize that hands a deserving artist the keys to one of West Cork’s most distinctive gallery spaces for a full run. Charlet’s paintings examine the feminine voice in patriarchal societies, drawing on years of wintering in India alongside a deep attachment to the Beara peninsula where she has lived since 2005. If you enjoy figurative painting that carries both weight and colour, or you want to encounter West Cork’s art community at its most genuine, this is a good place to spend an hour.
Charlet came to painting by an unusual route - she spent years as a freelance illustrator and paper engineer for publishers including Casterman and Moulinsart (the Tintin house) before relocating to Ireland and shifting her focus entirely to her own work. She works in watercolour and oil, keeping travel sketchbooks and journals on her regular winter trips to Patangarh in Madhya Pradesh, a village whose Gond art community she has actively supported by helping sell their work in Europe. The figurative paintings in this show grow out of that cross-cultural experience: large, direct images that put women at the centre of the frame.
The gallery itself is worth the drive. Cnoc Buí occupies a one-acre coastal site on the outskirts of Union Hall, in what was originally an 1880 farmhouse with pre-famine stone outbuildings. Opened as a community arts centre in 2023, it now runs 1,800 sq ft of renovated exhibition space from March to October each year, serving as both a low-cost venue for West Cork artists and a genuine community hub for local groups. The permanent Union Hall Collection includes work by Robert Ballagh, Donald Teskey and Martin Gale.
Union Hall sits on Glandore Harbour in West Cork, roughly 100 km south-west of Cork City. From the N71, turn south at Rosscarbery and follow the R597 through Glandore village; Union Hall is a few minutes further. There is no regular bus service on this stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way, so a car is the practical option for most visitors. Parking is available on site at Cnoc Buí.
Union Hall is a small working harbour village with a pier, good views across the water to Glandore, and a scattering of pubs and cafes that hold their own alongside the scenery. There is more to see in Union Hall and across Co. Cork.
Heading to Cnoc Bui Arts Centre in Union Hall? Cork has plenty more to see. Read the Union Hall area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.