Tirana – Vila 31 x Art Explora Residency Program

 Deadline Date: June 06, 2024

 Donor Name: Art Explora Foundation

 Grant Size: $1000 to $10,000

https://www.artexplora.org/en/project/residences-dartistes-tirana-vila31-x-art-explora

Applications are open for the Tirana Art Residency – Vila 31 x Art Explora, a new artistic residency programme founded by Art Explora in the Albanian capital.

Located in the heart of Vila 31, the former home of dictator Enver Hoxha, the Tirana Artists’ Residence – Vila 31 x Art Explora aims to prolong the local dynamic of reopening and reappropriating this historic site by the public. The architectural project chosen to renovate Vila 31 is led by NeM architects, who wanted to maintain a balance between the need to preserve the site and its problematic history, and the need to create neutral spaces – white bubbles – to rewrite new, plural histories.

This center for residency, research and artistic experimentation aims to be a new platform for intercultural exchange on a local, national and international scale. It will support contemporary creation in all its forms from a transdisciplinary and transgenerational perspective. The Tirana – Vila 31 x Art Explora residency program will host a dynamic cultural program designed in collaboration with local players, schools and associations, including exhibitions, workshops, film screenings, discussions, symposia and festivals open to all.

The Tirana – Vila 31 x Art Explora residency program will welcome up to thirty artists and researchers for 3-month residencies spread over 3 sessions per year. Each resident will benefit from studio accommodation, production and exhibition spaces, as well as a living and production grant to develop his or her research. Particular attention will be paid to artists and researchers based in the Balkans, while welcoming international artists.

Types of residency programs

• SOLO program
  • This 3-month residency program is open to artists from Albania and the Balkans (50%) and to international artists.
• COLLECTIVE program
  • A 3-month residency, this program is open to a duo/collective formed by an artist and a researcher or a researcher/scientist/curator.
• CROSS program
  • This residency program is a crossover program: residents will benefit from both a 3-month residency in Paris as part of the Cité internationale des arts x Art Explora residency program, and a 3-month residency in Tirana as part of the Tirana – Vila 31 x Art Explora residency program.
• Alongside these 3 residency programs, curators, art critics and international researchers will be invited to Vila 31 for short-term research stays.

Benefits

• Each resident benefits from:
  • A studio-apartment fully equipped and furnished in Vila 31, Tirana
  • A living grant of 600 euros per month
  • A production grant of 1500 euros
  • A round trip to Tirana
  • Access to production studios
  • Access and use of an exhibition space
• Throughout their residency, the artists will benefit from an administrative, and tailor-made support for the development of their residency projects. The residents will be asked to participate in various events and programs at Tirana Art Residency – Vila 31 x Art Explora such as studio visits with international curators and professionals, workshops with NGOs, talks and screening programs. Three time a year, the residents will have the opportunity to show their work-in-progress during the Open studios and will be encouraged to engage with local communities. Residents will also have access to an exhibition space, production studios in the basement of the Vila 31 and will be able to take advantage of the facilites, technical equipements and tools at their disposal.

Eligibility Criteria

• The residency programme is open to artists and artists’ collectives, researchers and curators of all nationalities, with no age limit, with at least five years of professional experience.
• Particular attention will be paid to artists and researchers based or working in the Balkans, but all nationalities are invited to apply and will be considered.

For more information, visit Art Explora Foundation.