Hydra PACE OPEN CALL for Palestinian, Slovakian, and Slovenian Artists
co-living, community, connection, co-experience
The DobraVaga Gallery, Ramallah Municipality / Mamarat AIR program and KAIR Košice Artist in Residence invite visual or interdisciplinary artists, working and living in Slovenia, Palestine or Slovakia, to take part in a two-month residency in selected cities.
Partners: DobraVaga Gallery (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Ramallah Municipality (Ramallah, Palestine), KAIR Košice Artist in Residence (Košice, Slovakia)
Residency dates & locations:
- Online meetings prior to arrival (March, April, May)
- A-I-R in Ljubljana, Ramallah or Košice (from June 4th to August 4th, 2021)
- Final meeting in Ramallah (from August 5th to 9th, 2021)
Application deadline: January 31st, 2021
Interviews with pre-selected artists: February 10th to 12th, 2021
Date of results: February 15th, 2021
Open call final selection announcement: February 19th, 2021
HYDRA PACE AIMS & DESCRIPTION
Hydra PACE — Platform for Artistic Collaboration and Exchange is the collaboration of three partners from Slovenia, Palestine and Slovakia, aiming to form a growing network of existing and new international artist-in-residency programs for established and emerging artists. The idea for the art residencies project evolved on the threshold of the pandemic crisis that challenged us to reconsider and redesign numerous projects and programs, including artistic residencies. Hydra PACE is thus offering a model of concurrent international residencies, with an emphasis on combined live–online activities for artists to network, collaborate, exchange practices and experience different social, political, and cultural contexts.
During the Hydra PACE program in 2021, 6 artists will travel to 3 different countries. Participating in networking, communication and educational activities, they will together with partners transfer valued know-how to local and international audiences.
Hydra PACE focuses on intercultural dialogue as a method for artistic research and creating projects that reflect current topics and issues, communicated in this open call under the keywords: co-living, community, connecting, and co-experience.
Our aim is to develop and design a model of adaptable art residencies for ever-changing circumstances, and to give resources to social connections rather than social distancing, togetherness rather than isolation, and for nurturing solidarity in our closest communities. As poetic as this aim sounds, every person is in need of connecting, participating and co-creating, and we encourage that.
RESIDENCIES PROGRAM
The Hydra PACE residency program anticipates six concurrent residencies (in Ljubljana, Košice, and Ramallah), and the connection between artists in residency and partners implies collaboration in three stages:
- collaboration with the partner’s organization prior to arrival (throughout March, April and May 2021),
- a two-month residency with live–online activities in the selected city (Ljubljana, Ramallah or Košice), which lasts from June 4th to August 4th, 2021,
- a final meeting of all participating residency artists and partners’ representatives in Ramallah, focused around a reflective roundtable (from August 5th to 9th, 2021).
For the participation, SIX artists will be selected:
- two artists from Slovenia, one travelling to Ramallah, Palestine, one to Košice, Slovakia,
- two artists from Palestine, one travelling to Košice, Slovakia, one to Ljubljana, Slovenia, and
- two artists from Slovakia, one travelling to Ljubljana, Slovenia, one to Ramallah, Palestine.
PLAN B
The Hydra PACE program is designed to take place even in changed circumstances (due to COVID-19), meaning that residencies will be organized even if, for example, traveling will not be possible. The alternative and adapted model of art residencies will be presented and explained in detail to selected artists.
TOPICS TO ADDRESS
We would like to ask artists to analyze the present situation and think about the future, and to address one of the following issues through visual arts or their overlap into scientific disciplines, sound art, new media, architecture, literature, animation, or performance:
- CO-LIVING
- CO-WORKING
- COMMUNITY
- CO-EXISTENCE
- CO-PRESENCE
- CONNECTION
- CONSENSUS
- CONSONANCE
- CO-OPERATION
- CO-EXPERIENCE
- COVID-19
Co-living
Did the world succeed in choosing the term “social distancing”? Is it really the time for social distance? Or is it the time to connect, to come together, and to be in solidarity? During and after the crisis, we need to focus on building and nurturing future relations/relationships. What are the possible new or different shapes of political and cultural group activities and co-living?
Community
Especially during the global crisis, it is necessary to emphasize the protection of the human rights of all citizens. States of emergency and protecting public health can be used as an excuse for the segregation of minorities.
Connection
The connection between capitalism and pandemic influences is researched from different perspectives. How could the world in the process of countering the virus slow the pace of our (societies and) economy to be more respectful to our fragile ecosystems? The living habitat for and by humans is constantly extending. What are the positive or negative consequences of movement and migration between various parts of Earth and beyond? We need to reflect on this to prepare our own and the next generation and to be able to adapt to epidemic/pandemic crises.
Co-experience
We have all experienced the very personal and emotional impact of the shared global crisis (not necessarily connected only to COVID-19) and many of us share feelings of fear and anxiety, vulnerability and strength, ecological grief, etc. Did the current crisis cause a change in mindsets and personal values? Or is it just temporary?
WHAT WE PROVIDE
Each Hydra PACE residency is supported with
- a separate apartment and artist studio free of charge, and a bicycle,
- an artist fee of 1,000 €,
- per diems (max. 1,220 € in total according to the local rights),
- material costs for a lecture or a workshop and the final presentation (max. 375 € in total),
- travel costs, most favourable connection (max. 350 € in total for EU artists selected for EU residency cities and max. 750 € in total for Palestinian artists and EU artists selected for Ramallah residencies),
- accommodation and travel costs for the final meeting in Ramallah, and
- CORIS health insurance for artists from Palestine and artists at Ramallah residency.
Each Hydra PACE residency also offers
- organization of the live-online activities,
- curatorial support,
- collaboration with other artists in residency within the Hydra PACE program,
- connection with the local cultural scene,
- connection and collaboration with local communities,
- and production and PR support
HOW TO APPLY
The Hydra PACE application form must include:
- a portfolio with selected works, including visuals and concepts, uploaded as one .pdf file (max. 10 pages and up to 10MB). Video works should be submitted via active links to YouTube, Vimeo or other video platforms;
- an artist statement that primarily addresses your artistic practice and work (max. 1000 characters with spaces);
- a letter explaining your motivation to take part in the residency, how and which topics of the open call you would like to address during the residency, and why you would like to be part of the concurrent residencies in the selected city (max. 3500 characters with spaces);
- a workshop or lecture description that addresses your experiences with such activities and explains which topics and practices you would like to share with participants (max. 1800 characters with spaces);
- a short biography, including your formal and/or informal education and professional collaborations (max. 500 characters with spaces);
- basic information.
To apply to the Hydra PACE residency, fill in the following form:
SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA
Pre-selection: the authors of the selected projects will be notified by February 8th, 2021, and invited to the interviews, which will take place between February 10th and 12th, 2021.
Final selection, date of results: we will contact the selected artists for the 6 residencies by February 15th, 2021.
Open call final selection announcement: we will officially announce our final selection on February 19th, 2021.
During the selection process, the jury will give priority to the artists who:
- are active; even students can apply, if they are already active in their practice,
- reflect one (or more) topics of the Hydra PACE project in their application,
- are living in Slovenia, Slovakia or Palestine; they do not need to be citizens of the country, but do have to be established on the local scene.
ABOUT EACH RESIDENCY AND LOCATION
LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
DOBRAVAGA (KINO ŠIŠKA)
Open Studio / Ljubljana Artist in Residence
With its program, DobraVaga places an emphasis on the aesthetic reflections of the younger generation of artists, the generation that represents the junction of (possi/a)bilities, explorations and current contexts of artistic production in contemporary times. Its Open Studio (Odprti atelje) residency programme was established in 2016 for young regional artists who do not have their own space to create. With the increasing international presence of DobraVaga, it has also taken on the form of an international residency programme, mostly including artists at the beginning of their professional artistic career. It is intended for all artists in contemporary visual and interdisciplinary production, regardless of their medium of expression – its main aim is artistic creation in the wonderful environment of the central city marketplace, which is the work of world-famous Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. DobraVaga offers two separate studios approx 12.5 m2 in size, available during the gallery’s opening hours, 6 days a week.
FB: https://www.facebook.com/dobravaga
IG: https://www.instagram.com/dobravaga
RAMALLAH, PALESTINE
RAMALLAH MUNICIPALITY
Mamarat (Paths) / Ramallah Artist in Residence
Mamarat (Paths) is the residency programme of the Ramallah Municipality. The research component of the residency is comprised of visits, talks and meetings with local cultural actors and the local community in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities, in order to strengthen the understanding of local communalities as well as the research questions, vis-à-vis to clarify possible community engagement activities within the project and to create a conversation and discourse between the artists themselves and the local audience. The aim is to be able to produce relevant cultural material that reflects the realities and possibilities for the future of the city and the country.
The programme encourages the residents to work with key local actors and researchers to cooperate and co–produce. The residency hosts artists in contemporary visual and interdisciplinary production, regardless of their medium of expression.
WEB: www.ramallah.ps
FB: https://www.facebook.com/R.Municipality
IG: https://www.instagram.com/ramallahmunicipality
KOŠICE, SLOVAKIA
KAIR Košice Artist in Residence
Košice Artist in Residence is an international residency program for artists from all over the world and all artistic disciplines and expressions. KAIR is strongly focused on the creation of international cooperation between Slovak and foreign artists and art organizations. Since 2011, artists have had the chance to work in the inspiring environment of Košice’s singular cultural surroundings, realize art projects, collaborate with the agile local art scene, and present themselves to the local and national public. KAIR also provides opportunities for Slovak artists to travel for residencies in cooperation with its partners. KAIR offers two separate studios approx. 20 m2 in size, suitable for visual artists. The studios are connected to the Šopa Gallery, where the presentation and workshop activities of Hydra PACE in Košice will take place.
WEB: www.kair.sk
FB: https://www.facebook.com/KosiceArtistInResidence
IG: https://www.instagram.com/kair.residency
CONTACT AND FURTHER INFO
Contact for artists applying from Slovenia: Anja Zver
E: info@dobravaga.si; T: +386 30 310 104
Contact for artists applying from Palestine: Sally Abu Bakr
T: +970 599 671 052
Contact for artists applying from Slovakia: Zuzana Kotiková
E: zuzana.kotikova@kair.sk; T: +421 915 078 489