EV+A - which stands for the Exhibition of Visual Art, held annually in Limerick city - is now into its 20th year as an event. This year, starting yesterday, it plans to stage what is claimed will be "the largest and most widespread display of public art ever in this country". It will cost over £250,000 - the Arts Council's recent award of £100,000 to the event will help here - and will feature the work of a number of internationally known artists.
It has been the policy for some years now to bring in a prominent overseas adjudicator for the exhibition. This year's choice is Guy Tortosa, who has played a leading role in French art - particularly in its decentralising policy - since the 1980s. EV+A will also be linked with the events of Imaginaire Irlandais, which will open shortly in France. Performance art will be included, and this year the adjudicator has decided to integrate the Open and international invited sections by exhibiting both in public places.
The largest section of the exhibition will be held in the Limerick City Gallery of Art, as usual, and other venues will include shops and shopping centres, and even bus stops and billboards and the People's Park behind the City Gallery of Art, as well as the Dolmen Gallery and King John's Castle. Among the artists taking part are James Coleman, Felix Gonzalez Torres, Nigel Rolfe, Christian Boltanski, Alice Maher, Willie Doherty, Dorothy Cross, Kathy Prendergast and Braco Dimitrijevic. The 20th EV+A will run for eight weeks, until May 4th.