Edinburgh Art Festival: 31 July - 31 August 2008

Introduction
Quotes
International artists
Group Shows

The Scottish Arts Council are supporting the Edinburgh Art Festival, a festival of Visual Arts in Edinburgh.

Introduction

The Edinburgh Art Festival (EAF) may be the newcomer on the block, but as the details of its fifth edition demonstrate, it has become a major player in the capital’s summer events programme. The 2008 programme brings together a diversity of talent from internationally renowned artists to up-and-coming-collectives, showcasing the depth and strength of the visual arts in Edinburgh. This year sees over 50 exhibitions spanning public and private galleries, long-established spaces, new galleries and recently formed groups, and over 120 associated events.

Alongside the exhibitions the EAF once again offers a month of events – artists’ talks, screenings, debates, tours and family projects. Details can be found at the Edinburgh Art Festival website.

Quotes from Tessa Jackson, Joanne Brown and Amanda Catto:

“Creating a focus for the visual arts during Festival time was the motivating force behind the galleries’ desire to establish an annual Art Festival. Now five years after the inaugural event the Edinburgh Art Festival can truly be said to have come of age as an increasing number of the city’s galleries commission and curate exhibitions specially for the Festival, and the programme of associated events attracts an ever larger and broader audience.”
Tessa Jackson
Chair of the Edinburgh Art Festival Board

“It is no secret that Edinburgh has a vibrant visual arts community. The EAF is a catalyst for the development of new and exciting work, showcasing the full range of the city’s galleries and artists at a time when the eyes of the world are on Edinburgh. This year features new work by leading international artists, new galleries – some participating in the Festival for the first time and others, like the new Ingleby Gallery, Dovecot and Eskmills opening during the EAF- work from a new generation of Edinburgh-based talent, and new additions to the popular events programme.” Joanne Brown Director of Edinburgh Art Festival

“The Scottish Arts Council is delighted to be supporting this year’s Edinburgh Art Festival which provides the opportunity for audiences in the City and visitors alike to experience a wide range of high quality, exciting exhibitions and events featuring work from some of the world’s most imaginative visual artists.”
Amanda Catto
Head of Visual Arts at the Scottish Arts Council 

Internationally acclaimed artists.

Headlining the 2008 Edinburgh Art Festival is a series of major surveys including a Tracey Emin 20-year retrospective at the Gallery of Modern Art; Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller at the Fruitmarket Gallery; Alexander Heim at Doggerfisher; Andrew Grassie at Talbot Rice Gallery; Richard Hamilton at Inverleith House and Chad McCail at Edinburgh Printmakers.

Kay Rosen and Susan Collis, will be featured in the new Ingleby Gallery, the largest private gallery outside London, with Mark Wallinger the first featured artist in Ingleby’s Billboard for Edinburgh project. Ian Healy shows at Attic Salt and Martha Rosler shows at Stills. Meanwhile Jane Frere shows work inspired by a residency in East Jerusalem at Patriothall Gallery at WASPS.

Group shows

Many of the exhibitions presented in spaces participating in the EAF for the first time this year will also feature work by groups of artists.

The Golden Record, Sounds of the Earth at Collective will feature the records included with the two Voyager spacecraft; Mutatis Mutandis at Embassy showcases work that moves between performance installation, photography, video and painting; Eskimo at Eskmills in Musselburgh sees fourteen artists responding to this new gallery space.

Work by Marion Preez, Keith Winter, Dongfang Gao and Daniel Smernicki will be shown in c a m e r a - a new exhibition space at the entrance to the Museum of Edinburgh; the new Edinburgh artist-run initiative, echo offers an exhibition on the (sibling) rivalry between Edinburgh and Glasgow; and throughout the Edinburgh Art Festival Total Kunst will be holding a variety of exhibitions and events in celebration of the creative spirit of the Edinburgh summertime.

For further information on the Edinburgh Art Festival please visit the Edinburgh Art Festival website.

The Edinburgh Art Festival is funded by The Scottish Arts Council, Edinburgh City Council and The Scottish Government. The 2008 Festival is sponsored by Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Aesthetica, Barcapel Foundation and Waitrose with support from McFadden Associates Ltd, Habitat, Scottish and Newcastle and Stewarts.