TURN2 Residencies // Open Call // Second Round

Curatorial Research Residencies in Berlin for emerging curators and cultural practitioners based in the African continent

As part of the programme TURN2 - Artistic Co-Creation between Germany and African Countries, the Federal Cultural Foundation launched the TURN2 Residencies - Curatorial Research Residencies in Berlin, Lagos, Nairobi and Johannesburg in April 2021. 

In September 2021, the open call for emerging curators based in the African continent coming to ZK/U Berlin goes into the second round. For curators based in Germany, there will be no second open call.

This call invites emerging curators in the contemporary visual arts or with a cross-disciplinary approach and cultural practitioners with a curatorial interest based in the African continent, to undertake a funded 3-month residency at ZK/U Berlin. The residencies will take place between April 2022 and December 2022 (exact dates to be finalised in consultation between the host and each selected candidate). 

In the first round of the open call in April 2021, an expert jury selected six emerging curators from the African continent to conduct research at ZK/U Berlin between September 2021 and March 2022. Simultaneously, nine emerging curators from Germany were selected to conduct curatorial research in Lagos, Nairobi and Johannesburg.

Read more information on the selected candidates here 

The TURN2 Residencies promote the initiation of curatorial partnerships and transcontinental networks between emerging curators and established art and cultural institutions as well as the exchange between the respective art scenes. The TURN2 Residencies are a joint project of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation), the ZK/U Berlin and the Triangle Network, and are carried out in collaboration with the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI), the G.A.S. Foundation in Lagos and the Bag Factory in Johannesburg.

For more information, see the full open call here.

To full Open Call

Applications to the residency are welcome during our open call periods only.

THE OPEN CALL IS CURRENTLY CLOSED.

ZK/U sees itself as a laboratory for inter- and trans-disciplinary activities centered on the phenomenon of “the city”. It promotes international exchange on global issues, in the light of what is happening in one’s own backyard. The work at ZK/U is informed by theoretical and practice-based critiques developed in the disciplines of geography, anthropology, urban planning, architecture and the humanities.

Applicant Requirements

• ZK/U welcomes artists, researchers, practitioners, activists that concern themselves with the phenomenon of 'the city'. (All disciplines and professions are welcome)
• The programme is open to a range of contemporary artistic positions that are conceptual, interventionist and contextual. 
• Artists are expected to have a broad record of projects and exhibitions. 
• Scholars and practitioners should have some years of professional experience. 
• One can apply individually or as a group. 
• Group applications consisting of artists working together with scholars or practitioners from other disciplines are especially welcome.
• There are no limitations concerning age or region of provenance of the applicant. 

SELECTION CRITERIA

• ZK/U seeks proactive practitioners with an open mind for divergent positions and for possible collaborations with fellow residents as well as ZK/U’s programme, infrastructure, and diverse audiences.
• ZK/U is interested in proposals that have a certain relevance either to ZK/U as an institution or to Berlin.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

• The application proposal should be coherent with the Open Call’s ​conceptual framework​ ​and investigation leads. 

WHAT WE PROVIDE

• a studio-apartment for living and working
• access to communal spaces (kitchen, terrace, library)
• a special residency program of weekly dinners, monthly studio visits and bi-monthly open studio events (OPENHAUS)
• the possibility to take part or be part of ZK/U’s public events
• support to locate events, resources, and urban discourses relevant to the fellows’ research interests
• support to create self-initiated public events or formats
• promotion of the fellows’ work online and locally

RESIDENCY FEE & DURATION

For individual fellows, depending on the studio-apartment and length of stay, the residence fees are between €550 and €850 a month. The residency period varies from 3 to 8 months, and can take place within the next two years after the applicant receives a confirmation. After being selected, ZK/U will support the invited residential fellow in their efforts to secure funding through external grants by providing the fellow with an official invitation and a list of potential funders.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Please only submit your application within the Open Call period.

To apply, please:

• fill out the application form
• send your application documents via wetransfer

For questions, make sure to check our FAQ page.

APPLICATION MATERIAL (in German or English):

1. Application form
2. Curriculum vitae (PDF, max. 2 pages)
3. A selection of 2 to 3 projects representing a practice relevant to our conceptual framework (please include descriptions of those projects) (PDF, max. 10 pages)
4. A detailed working plan (only if you are applying for a residency that is longer than 6 months) (PDF, max. 2 pages)

Please send the PDF documents (max. 15mb and 14 pages combined) through wetransfer to apply​@zku-berlin.org

Additional material can be sent by post to: Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik - Residency Siemensstrasse 27, 10551 Berlin Germany
(Please note that we cannot send back application material and that ZK/U is not able to take any responsibility for the arrival and preservation of the material that is sent to us!)

Additionally, our partners offer paid residency opportunities at ZK/U Berlin in irregular intervals. For updates, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter.