Mission & History

TULCA Festival of Visual Arts is a multi-venue, artist-centred festival dedicated to contemporary visual art. Based in Galway, TULCA works with Irish curators to develop ambitious, thematically driven programmes that bring together artists, audiences, and ideas from Ireland and beyond.

The festival positions Galway city and county as an active site for contemporary art practice, presentation, and critical exchange. Through exhibitions, events, publications, and education initiatives, TULCA supports the development of contemporary visual arts culture within both local and international contexts.

Our Aims

  • Support artists in the development and presentation of new and existing work

  • Foster critical engagement with contemporary visual art through exhibitions, talks, and publications

  • Create meaningful opportunities for audiences of all ages to encounter and reflect on contemporary art

What We Do

Each year, TULCA takes place over three weeks in November. The festival commissions an Irish curator to develop a theme unique to each edition, shaping the programme through a combination of open call and invited participation by national and international artists.

Exhibitions and events take place across a range of gallery and non-gallery venues, extending throughout Galway city and county. This multi-site approach enables diverse forms of artistic presentation and encourages audiences to move through the city and region in new ways.

Alongside the exhibition programme, TULCA presents talks, tours, seminars, and workshops, as well as a year-round education programme working with schools, third-level institutions, and community partners. Through these activities, the festival seeks to encourage sustained engagement, critical reflection, and dialogue around contemporary visual art.

Festival Curators

  • 2025 — Beulah Ezeugo

  • 2024 — Michele Horrigan

  • 2023 — Iarlaith Ní Fheorais

  • 2022 — Clare Gormley

  • 2021 — Eoin Dara

  • 2020 — Sarah Browne

  • 2019 — Kerry Guinan

  • 2018 — Linda Shevlin

  • 2017 — Matt Packer

  • 2016 — Daniel Jewesbury

  • 2015 — Mary Cremin

  • 2014 — Aisling Prior

  • 2013 — Valerie Connor

  • 2012 — Gregory McCartney

  • 2011 — Megs Morley

  • 2010 — Michelle Browne

  • 2009 — Helen Carey

  • 2008 — George Bolster

  • 2007 — Aideen Barry & Louise Manifold

  • 2006 — Cliodhna Shaffrey, Sarah Searson, Áine Phillips

  • 2005 — TULCA Season of Visual Arts

  • 2004 — TULCA Season of Visual Arts

  • 2003 — TULCA Season of Visual Arts

  • 2002 — TULCA Season of Visual Arts