SEGMENT 1 | Presentations 
15 December, 2018

The first segment of the symposium served as an introduction to the 7 invited residencies. Representatives produced a 10-minute presentation touching upon the following aspects: The reason the residency in question was established; Its location and its relationship with its location; The model it follows; Its residents. (How many? Where from? How are they selected?); The impact the residency intends to have on the residents practice and/or career; The residency’s relationship with the global art circuit.

SEGMENT 2 | Panel Discussion
15 December, 2018

Despite the proliferation of artist residencies over the past two decades and the role they play in the production and circulation of contemporary art, rarely are they the subject of a critical discourse. The purpose of this discussion was to prompt such a dialogue. To respond to the broader themes of this project this moderated segment put the participating residency representatives in conversation with a five-person panel of experts. Together they addressed questions such as:

1) The growing ubiquity of artist residencies.
Subscribe to any art mailing list and a new crop of residency application deadlines lands in your inbox every week. But is more always better? The principal idea underpinning these calls for applications appears to be that an artist needs to be on the move. That to work they need to leave the place they are located in, the community and country familiar to them. To move from residency to residency has become a norm among emerging artists. What impact does such constant movement and these temporary pit stops have on artistic practices?

2) The networked artist. Travel is a fundamental necessity of the networked art world. Although deemed beneficial for all it is often considered particularly advantageous for artists living outside of major centres. But how do we acknowledge the ‘otherness’ of the resident artist and avoid any chance of the guest adapting to and, eventually, being assimilated into the dominant institutional culture?

3) Art tourism and sustainability.
All travel has impact, and not just on the environment. The impact artists and cultural producers have on a place is not necessarily positive. Artist gentrification is just one of them. How can artist residencies be mindful of these impacts? What measures can they take to ensure sustainability for the planet, local ecosystems as well as artists’ careers? 

SPEAKER PROFILES

Aaron Cezar is the founding Director of Delfina Foundation, where he develops, curates and oversees its interrelated programme of residencies, exhibitions and public platforms. Over the last 12 years, Aaron has positioned Delfina Foundation as a meeting point and incubator of creative talent, forming partnerships with leading institutions internationally. He has devised Delfina Foundation’s ground-breaking thematic programmes such as Collecting as Practice, the first ever integrated residency programme for collectors and artists.

Marie Hélène Pereira graduated in Management and International Business Law. After a few years of work within the business world, she shifted her professional interest to arts and culture. She is Director of Programmes at RAW Material Company where she has organized a dozen of exhibitions and related discursive programs including the participation of RAW Material Company to “We face forward: Art from West Africa Today” Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; ICI Curatorial Hub at TEMP, New York; The 9th Shanghai Biennial, Shanghai; MARKER Art Dubai (2013). She co-curated Scattered Seeds in Cali-Colombia (2015-2017) and curated Battling to normalize freedom at Clarkhouse Initiative in Mumbai, India (2017).

Andreas Vogel (D/CH) is an art historian, curator, cultural worker, critic and writer and has a doctorate in late-absolutist urban planning. He has worked at various museums including, Kunstverein Konstanz (D) as acurator between 1999 and 2000. From 2001-2015, He has been associated with F+F School for Art and Media Design in Zurich (CH) since 2001 and was appointed as their Director in 2011. Since 2015, he is the Head of the Department of Design and Fine Arts at BerneUniversity of the Arts HKB (CH). Andreas Vogel was a member of the Art Commission of the City of Zurich (2006-2014) a member of the jury of the Guggenheim Foundation (2013-2018) and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bern Design Foundation.He is also the president of the independent association, that hosts and organizes the “Sommerakademie Paul Klee” in Berne.

Suresh Jayaram is a visual artist, trained as an art historian, arts administrator and curator from Bangalore. He is the Founder of 1.Shanhtiroad Studio an international artist’s Residency. He is currently involved in art practise, urban mapping, archiving, curation and arts education. His keen interest in environmental and urban developmental issues influences his work.