Bassam El Baroni appointed Curator of the 36th eva International in 2014
eva International, Ireland’s biennial of contemporary art, is pleased to announce that Bassam El Baroni has been appointed as Curator of the 36th edition of eva International in 2014.
Bassam El Baroni is a curator and art critic based in Alexandria, Egypt. In 2005 he co-founded the non-profit art space Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum (ACAF), and was its Director until December 2012. In 2010, he was co-curator of Manifesta 8, Murcia, Spain, and is currently a PhD researcher in the Curatorial/Knowledge program at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Of his appointment Bassam said: “I am very impressed with what eva International has already achieved in its new form as a biennial and I hope to continue building its reputation as an engaging contemporary art project of international significance and local resonance. I also look forward to working with many interesting artists from around the world, across Ireland and of course connecting with the city and county of Limerick.”
eva International is an artist-centred biennial of contemporary art that works with acclaimed international guest curators to present exhibitions and events in Limerick, Ireland. Artists’ projects are selected through an international open call for proposals and the open call for the 2014 biennial will be launched in May 2013.
Woodrow Kernohan, Director of eva International said: “We are delighted that Bassam El Baroni will be the Curator of eva International in 2014 and I am looking forward to developing the project with him during his forthcoming visits to Limerick and his assessment of the artists’ responses to the international open call for proposals.”
The 2012 eva International, titled After the Future, was curated by Annie Fletcher, and during its 12-week programme received over 65,000 visitors across the four venues and multiple outdoor sites in the city. Over 2,000 artists’ proposals were received and over 100 artists’ projects were part of the diverse programme that included an array of national and international partnership projects. eva International – After the Future was highlighted as one of the top exhibitions in both Ireland and the UK during 2012. A catalogue with documentation, artists’ profiles, essays and transcripts from After the Future is currently in production and will be launched in May 2013.
Hugh Murray, Chair of the Board of eva International said: “Already well regarded for its vibrant arts activity, Limerick will be Ireland’s first national City of Culture in 2014, with an impressive programme of events that will include the 36th eva International. We are very pleased to have Bassam El Baroni as Curator in such an important year for both the city and eva International.”
Since being founded in 1977 eva International (formerly e v+ a) has been curated by: Annie Fletcher (2012); Elizabeth Hatz (2010); Angelika Nollert & Yilmaz Dziewior (2009); Hou Hanru (2008); Klaus Ottmann (2007); Katerina Gregos (2006); Dan Cameron (2005); Zdenka Badovinac (2004); Virginia Pérez Ratton (2003); Apinan Poshyananda (2002); Salah M. Hassan (2001); Rosa Martínez (2000); Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn (1999); Paul M. O’Reilly (1998); Guy Tortosa (1996); María de Corral (1995); Jan Hoet (1994); Gloria Moure (1993); Lars Nittve (1992); Germano Celant (1991); Saskia Bos (1990); Florent Bex and Alexander Roshin (1988); Ida Panicelli (1987); Nabuo Nakamura (1986); Rudi Fuchs (1985); Peter Fuller (1984); Liesbeth Brandt Corstius (1982); Pierre Restany (1981); Brian O’Doherty (1980); Sandy Nairne (1979); Adrian Hall, Charles Harper, Theo Mcnab, Cóilín Murray (1978); Barrie Cooke, John Kelly, and Brian King (1977).
Bassam El Baroni’s other exhibitions and projects include: When it Stops Dripping from the Ceiling (An Exhibition That Thinks About Edification), Kadist Art Foundation, Paris (2012); Trapped in Amber (with Helga-Marie Nordby), UKS, Oslo (2009); the online collaboration The ARPANET Dialogues (with Nav Haq and Jeremy Beaudry, 2010-Present); the publication Fifteen Ways to Leave Badiou (2011). Currently he is co-curating (with Anne Szefer Karlsen and Eva González-Sancho) the Lofoten International Art Festival (LIAF), Norway, that will open in September 2013. He has contributed texts to a variety of publications and has delivered papers at a wide range of conferences and symposia including Museums Beyond The Crises – CIMAM Annual Conference, SALT, Istanbul (2012); dOCUMENTA (13), Cairo Seminar (2012); and The Human Snapshot, Luma Foundation, Arles (2011).
As part of the celebrations of Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union, eva International will be taking part in Curating Partnerships, a partnership development initiative and roundtable discussion event in Limerick on Saturday 11 May 2013.
For further information please see www.eva.ie or contact info [at] eva.ie.
eva International
Biennial of Visual Art
Limerick City, Ireland
