Artwork by DMU photographer in international exhibition spotlight

Iconic photography by a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) artist has appeared at an international exhibition.

A selection of work by Professor Lala Meredith-Vula is on show at EVA International, a biennial event taking place across 17 venues in Limerick until 29 October.

Professor Meredith-Vula’s work has been exhibited alongside pieces from more than 50 international artists such as American artist Gordon Matta Clarke, who gained fame with his socially engaged food art.

The EVA International event, which this year celebrated its 40^th anniversary, featured a guest programme, with a theme of gleaning – a term that traditionally refers to the act of collecting leftover crops following a harvest. 

Featuring over 50 presentations by Irish and international artists and collectives, the programme unfolds across a set of diverse venues in Limerick city, including civic arts institutions, a primary school, a cathedral, and a vegetarian café.

Prof Meredith-Vula is exhibiting 40 art works, at venues including the University of Limerick and the Limerick City Gallery of Art.

She said: “It was a great experience to see such brilliant contemporary artists work with in many different spaces in Limerick. 

“The theme Gleaners Society built on the need to glean from leftovers and could have been interpreted many ways.

“There was a connection to art and the land. My work has been the culmination of over 35 years of following farmers in Kosova making haystacks.

“Many of the works were my usual landmark series of haystacks. However, there were also images of people making the haystacks or resting in the fields after gleaning the harvest and even the tools for making the hay stack.”

Prof Meredith-Vula is recently back from exhibiting her work in Belgium at Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens in another exhibition about land and art, Fruits of Labour, focusing on working the land. Her recent photograph of people making haystacks in Kosova opened the show.