Phase 1 of the 39th EVA International is the first of a three-phase exhibition programme that will unfold across venues in Limerick city and online, from September 2020 to December 2021. Phase 1 features 12 presentations by Irish and international artists and collaborating curators, taking place across Limerick City Gallery of Art, The Hunt Museum, Sailor’s Home, Enable Ireland, EVA Offices and Archive, at outdoor locations, and online. Taking its reference from the “Golden Vein,” a 19th-century descriptor for the agricultural bounty of the Limerick region, the 39th EVA International programme across all phases seeks to question ideas of land and its contested values in the context of Ireland today. Through the work of the participating artists, these questions extend to broader considerations of how we relate to the land in terms of ideology, identity, and resource.

Phase 1 of the 39th EVA International features a Guest Programme titled Little did they know, curated by Merve Elveren, featuring artists Yane Calovski, Eirene Efstathiou, Michele Horrigan, Melanie Jackson and Esther Leslie, Driant Zeneli, and presentations by the Women Artists Action Group from the archive of Pauline Cummins. Little did they know also features a series of ‘dossiers’ by Sara Greavu that have been developed with artist Ciara Phillips and other contributors, titled It’s not for you we did it, available online at eva.ie/littledidtheyknow (launched 18 September 2020).

Phase 1 also features new commissions as part of EVA’s Platform Commissions and Partnership Project initiatives. Selected by Anne Tallentire, Merve Elveren and Matt Packer, are Platform Commissions by artists Áine McBride, Laura Fitzgerald, Emily McFarland, and Eimear Walshe.  The first commission under EVA’s Partnership Project initiative is a site-specific audio work by Bora Baboci, developed in partnership with the Magic Carpets network, supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.

The visitor guide for the Phase 1 programme of the 39th EVA International is available for download here. For the full list of participating artists across all phases, please see the announcement here. Details of Phase 2 and Phase 3 will be released in early 2021.