We are delighted to announce the 56 participating artists for the 38th edition of EVA International, taking place across various venues in Limerick, Ireland. Curated by Inti Guerrero.
Participating Artists:
Inji Aflatoun
b. 1924 – d. 1989 Egypt
Peju Alatise
b. 1975 Nigeria
Malala Andrialavidrazana
b. 1971 Madagascar/France
Alexander Apóstol
b. 1969 Venezuela/Spain
Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment
f. 2015 Ireland
Jaime Ávila
b. 1968 Colombia
Akiq AW
b. 1976 Indonesia
Patricia Belli
b. 1964 Nicaragua
Colin Booth
b. 1951 UK
Lee Bul
b.1964 South Korea
José Castrellón
b. 1980 Panama
Viriya Chotpanyavisut
b. 1982 Thailand
Steven Cohen
b. 1962 South Africa/France
Bruce Conner
b. 1933 – d. 2008 USA
Juan Dávila
b. 1946 Chile/Australia
Patrizio di Massimo
b. 1983 Italy/UK
Roy Dib
b. 1983 Lebanon
Rita Duffy
b. 1959 N. Ireland
Adrian Duncan and Feargal Ward
b. 1978 Ireland/Germany
b. 1976 Ireland/Germany
John Duncan
b. 1968 N. Ireland
Juan Pablo Echeverri
b.1978 Colombia
Gonzalo Fuenmayor
b. 1977 Colombia/USA
John Gerrard
b. 1974 Ireland/Austria
Dominique Gonzalez Foerster
b. 1965 France/Brazil
Alejandro González Iñárritu
b.1963 Mexico/USA
Laurent Grasso
b. 1972 France
Eileen Gray
b. 1878 – d. 1976 Ireland/France
Claire Halpin
b. 1973 Ireland
The 38th edition of EVA International takes its starting point from the painting Night Candles are Burnt Out (1927) by Irish artist Seán Keating. The painting presents an allegory of the Irish psyche at the advent of the construction of Ardnacrusha, a hydroelectric dam, built that same year on the border of County Limerick. Ardnacrusha was a symbol of early twentieth century engineering, which accelerated the Irish economy and radically shifted the society of the new state. Keating’s painting depicts a host of characters set against the backdrop of the construction site, whose lives are set to change by the dawning of a new era of technological progress.
Included in the exhibition, Night Candles are Burnt Out takes part in the dialogue of contemporary and historical artworks addressing narratives on nationhood, electricity, and the metaphors of power. Rather than a monolithic thematic exhibition, the biennial exhibition proposes itself as a kaleidoscope of essayistic, retinal and bodily narratives of artistic presentation, featuring: new commissions by Malala Andrialavidrazana (Madagascar/France), Sam Keogh (Ireland), and John Rainey (N. Ireland); large-scale installations by John Gerrard (Ireland/Austria) and Sanja Iveković (Croatia); works by modernist visionaries of the 1930s Mainie Jellett (Ireland) and Eileen Gray (Ireland/France); and the experimental approaches of artists from the late twentieth century, including Bruce Conner (USA) and Locky Morris (Ireland/N. Ireland). The generational scope follows a proposition by curator Inti Guerrero of thinking the biennial as a ‘temporary museum’ where the past is reframed to enable a critical perspective on the present.
The 38th EVA International has no title, breaking with a tradition of the biennial that dates back to 1990. This decision, taken by Guerrero is designed to emphasize the word ‘International’ that is central to EVA’s identity. Guerrero explains, “in our current state of nationalisms, hard-borders, protectionism and a complete change of course in humanity, where the liberal belief of a ‘never again’ seems to be dismantling, the word ‘International’ suddenly carries an important weight worth embracing. Since its foundation in 1977 in Limerick, EVA has been a forerunner in understanding the world through art in a transnational, transcultural, international dialogue, presenting its contradictions, anxieties and possibilities.”
The 38th EVA International will open to the public on Saturday 14 April with previews on 12 and 13 April. Apply for accreditation to attend the press and/or professional preview here: www.eva.ie/accrediation