Edinburgh Art Festival Announce 2011 Programme

Ranging across 42 arts spaces from museums to galleries to gardens to Old Town stairwells, Edinburgh Art Festival (EAF) returns for an eighth year of visual art in the capital. The newly-announced 2011 programme runs from 4 August until 4 September, and once again offers a unique blend of internationally renowned names and home grown emerging talent.

Highlights include Anish Kapoor’s first ever solo exhibition in Scotland, featuring a major new work alongside an iconic older work, specially selected for the spectacular space of Edinburgh College of Art’s Sculpture Court. David Mach takes over five floors of the City Arts Centre with a new work exploring the themes and legacy of the King James Bible in the year of its 400th anniversary, while Inverleith House hosts a large-scale exhibition of work by American pop artist Robert Rauschenberg. Outside the gallery, the Royal Botanic Gardens will play host to the first major outdoor exhibition of sculptures by Thomas Houseago.

August will also see the unveiling of Martin Creed’s Work 1059, which has taken a year to complete. This new public artwork, commissioned by The Fruitmarket Gallery, involves Creed cladding each of the 104 Scotsman steps in a different colour of marble. Creed chose this material to mirror the steps’ former use as an al fresco urinal for the city’s homeless. We await their renovation with bated breath.

Full details of the EAF 2011 programme can be found at www.edinburghartfestival.com.