OPEN CALL
LAGOS-BERLIN ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE 2022 // CALL FOR APPILCATION
COHERENT AND PEACEFUL CITIES
The Goethe-Institut Nigeria, in cooperation with hFACTOR Collective / plan-b residency in Lagos and the Berlin art institutions, ZK/U – Center for Art and Urbanistics and SAVVY Contemporary is offering residencies for artists / curators from Lagos and Berlin. The call is aimed at artists, architects and curators living and working in Lagos or Berlin. The selected residents will present their findings with the Berlin and Lagos audience respectively.
Residency for Lagosians in Berlin (01.09.–30.11.2022):
Through the collaboration of ZK/U – Center for Art and Urbanistics and SAVVY Contemporary an artist / architect / curator from Lagos will be welcomed in a residence program in Berlin. In addition to living and working in Berlin, this residency offers insights into the work of two Berlin cultural institutions. The resident has diverse opportunities for consultation and networking and can present their work to the public on various occasions.
Residency for Berliners in Lagos (01.11.–15.12.2022) :
A residence program for an artist / architect / curator from Berlin takes place in Lagos. Through the cooperation of Goethe-Institut Nigeria and hFACTOR / plan-b, this residence offers not only the possibility of working in Lagos, but also insight into the work of two important cultural institutions in Lagos, a variety of consultation and contact opportunities as well as the possibility of a final presentation at hFACTOR / plan-b with the Lagos art community.
The 2022 residency exchange Lagos/Berlin:
This year´s applications are encouraged to be inspired by Diébédo Francis Kéré’s (2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize recipient) idea of coherent and peaceful cities as a new paradigm for the role of design and art in relation to urban space. The Berlin-Lagos Residency Program 2022 seeks a reconceptualising of commercial cities by embedding artistic and creative practice in their construction. Through art activism, knowledge-based policies, and architectural innovation, how are art entrepreneurs, architects, and artists negotiating space and negotiating for space in the frantic economies of cities as modern, futuristic and as diverse but also commercial and capitalist as Berlin and Lagos?
This open call seeks art activists, architects, art entrepreneurs, and artists that engage in the question of space in the creation of art spaces – physically, digitally and/or metaphysically. We particularly encourage applications to engage with the topic of space and its limitations in relation to commercialisation – how have art entrepreneurs and artists negotiated for space in this context?
For individuals traveling to Lagos the questions of space must be taken into the context of a city occupied by oil and gas, banking and finance, as well as manufacturing and real estate concerns. As individuals traveling to Berlin would be working closely with the ZK/U – Center for Art and Urbanistics and SAVVY Contemporary, they are invited to engage with the themes, discourses and projects these spaces are invested in. The question of space is one of the biggest challenges of small institutions, which are by default fragile and vulnerable, and which are constantly interrogating what an institution can be.
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Residency dates:
In Lagos: 01.11.–15.12.2022
In Berlin: 01.09.–30.11.2022
Costs:
The following costs are covered by the exchange program: accommodation and studio in Lagos or Berlin, flight costs Berlin-Lagos/Lagos-Berlin (economy class), visa fee, per diems and some research costs (such as books, materials, tickets to exhibitions). Please note that group/duo applications are not possible, due to limited funding resources and space in the residencies. The artists will have access to a private room and access to a kitchen for cooking.
Application material (please submit in English for all partners to understand)
1. Fill out an application form including a project proposal engaging the question of space (physically, digitally, and/or metaphysically) in the thinking of and in the creation of art spaces (max. 800 words) and short bio (max 300 words).
https://forms.gle/hpmLRkrSPo7YDSwG9
2. CV + proof of residency in Berlin (Anmeldung, PDF) or Lagos (Address, PDF)
3. Portfolio PDF with a selection of 2–3 relevant projects including descriptions (max. 15MB and 12 pages combined) over wetransfer.com to [email protected]
Note: All relevant information and FAQs about the respective residency programme are provided on the institutions website: For residency in Lagos please check hFACTOR / plan-b (https://www.hfactorcollective.com/about-contact) and Goethe-Institut Nigeria (https://www.goethe.de/ins/ng/en/kul/res/rep.html) and for residency in Berlin ZK/U (https://www.zku-berlin.org/practical-information/). If you can’t find what you are looking for, kindly send us an email.
Applications until June 25, 2022. The scholarship holders will be selected by an independent jury at the end of June 2022 in Lagos and Berlin and informed latest in the first week of July 2022.
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Information about Project Partners
Goethe-Institut Nigeria: The Goethe-Institut e.V. is the globally active cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Goethe-Institut Nigeria organizes and supports a wide range of events for the presentation of German culture in Nigeria and implements projects for intercultural exchange with Nigerian partners. It offers consultation and contact opportunities during the residencies.
www.goethe.de/ins/ng/de/index.html
hFACTOR / plan-b residency: hFACTOR is a collective of creative minds that proposes engaging with art in order to create long lasting solutions for developing society, both local and global. Our primary approach is through the practical and creative use of space. All our programs are built to engage people within a space of some sort – whether physical or conceptual, contested or under-utilized.
plan-b is hFACTOR’s new incubator space at the nexus of art & design, agriculture, wellness and city resilience. Using creative educational practices, we hope to create new spaces of sustainability (both social and economic), relationality and play. The artist-in-residence spaces located here support contextual and critical overviews of the city by giving visiting artists direct access to two central modes of enquiry at plan-b: art and design practices via a plastic maker space and carpentry workshop; and agricultural processing via a fermentation lab. However, artists are not limited to these modes of enquiry and are free to explore through hFACTOR’s larger creative network.
ZK/U – Center for Art and Urbanistics: ZK/U is a residency and platform for creative and urban experimentation. ZK/U is generally interested in bringing together global discourses and local practices. More specifically, it’s looking at how art and culture can be a catalyst for transformation in the urban sphere. In this context we are facing various challenges. How can we facilitate collaborations between cultural, public and private sectors to achieve sustainable, inclusive urban development allowing local culture and voices to participate in the decision-making processes?The residency program is open to artists, scholars and practitioners that concern themselves with the phenomenon of ‘the city’. It is possible to participate in bi-monthly presentations and consultations within a group of international residences.
SAVVY Contemporary | The laboratory of form-ideas was founded in 2009 by Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung as an art space, discursive platform, place for good talks, foods and drinks – a space for conviviality. SAVVY Contemporary situates itself at the threshold of notions of the West and non-West, to understand and deconstruct them. SAVVY Contemporary has realized a kaleidoscope of art exhibitions, performances, film screenings, lectures, concerts, readings, talks, dances. It has established a participatory archive on German colonial history, a performance arts documentation centre, a library, a residency program, a series of publications, a record label (SAVVY records), a radio platform called SAVVYZΛΛR as well as educational projects with schools. The art space engages in its neighborhood's history and socio-political realities which are entangled with the reflections and discourses of the project. As an independent art space questioning fixed notions we are constantly becoming and endangered through taking risky positions and moving on a path of radical conviviality.
ZK/U 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):
- Application form
- Curriculum vitae (PDF, max. 2 pages)
- 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)
- 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.