About EAF

EAF (Edinburgh Art Festival) is the UK’s largest annual festival of visual art, and returns from 9 – 25 August 2024. Founded in 2004, we work with local and international partners to present an ambitious and meaningful programme of exhibitions, events and projects across the city. 

Since its beginnings, EAF has featured exhibitions including international and UK artists at a pivotal point in their career alongside the best emerging talent, major survey exhibitions of historic figures, and a programme of newly commissioned artworks that respond to historic sites in the city.  

EAF’s year-round community engagement programme has long-term relationships and partnerships across the city, creating relevant and memorable experiences with artists. We invite local people to explore culture, community, the city and self-expression, and value, with many festival projects reflecting this unique creative relationship.

Projects

We support Scottish and international artists to make new and ambitious projects which engage with the extraordinary context of Edinburgh in August. Presented principally in public spaces, our projects allow access to overlooked or neglected stories or spaces in our city’s heritage.

Platform – now in its 10th year for 2024 – celebrates early career artists working in Scotland, with the opportunity for mentorship, production and exhibition. 

Throughout the year, we deliver a programme of activity that connects people to the city through art, making and ideas.

Read more about our Civic Engagement programme.

Partner Exhibitions

Edinburgh Art Festival was founded in 2004 through an ambitious partnership of galleries committed to ensuring that high quality presentations of visual art remained at the core of Edinburgh’s summer festival experience. This partnership remains at the core of our festival, and is reflected in the rich programme of exhibitions developed for the festival each year by our Partner Galleries.

Presented across leading national institutions, internationally recognised contemporary art galleries and artist run spaces, it offers a chance to discover work by some of the very best historic and contemporary artists from Scotland, the UK and beyond.

Permanent Work

Our previous Commissions Programme has resulting in a number of permanent works for the city. A map of works can be found here.

These include:

Rabiya Choudhry: Give light and people will find the way (Ella Baker), 2023

Bobby Niven: Palm House, 2017 (Open to members of the general public on request)

Graham Fagen: A Drama in Time, 2016

Martin Creed: Work No.1059, 2011 

Richard Wright: The Stairwell Project, 2010 

Alison Watt: Still, 2004 (No longer on display)