Open call: Ukrainian-Austrian Art Residency 2021. TEMPORARY UN/AVAILABILITYAbout Us

Open call: Ukrainian-Austrian Art Residency 2021. TEMPORARY UN/AVAILABILITY

The deadline for applications has been extended until June 15.
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For the first time, Mystetskyi Arsenal and the Austrian Cultural Forum Kyiv present a joint international project, the Ukrainian-Austrian Art Residency (UAAR), aimed at strengthening the international connection between Ukrainian and Austrian artists and supporting them. In 2021, the residency invites visual artists from Ukraine and Lower Austria to participate in the Temporary Un/Availability program.

Digital technology, the proliferation of hybrid images, and the growth of the register of Internet tools have created a foundation for the multiplication of optics and increased the possibilities of the ‘presence effect’. In conditions when the world periodically narrows down to a space of a room, the network becomes almost the only opportunity to go beyond, overcoming time and distance. The residency project aims to identify probable ways of exploring a place through work with the local context(s) and by using new media tools.

The program Temporary Un/Availability focuses on exploring and reconsidering the concept of place in conditions of absence of physical access to it, its memory, historical and social contexts. Artists will analyze how the study of the digital image expands visionary possibilities and provokes the creation of poetic language.

The residency will be held in a hybrid format (online and offline) and provides cooperation between pairs of artists from Austria and Ukraine. The result of the project will be an exhibition of participants of the residency in the space of the Laboratory of Contemporary Art Mala Gallery of Mystetskyi Arsenal (83 м²).

Space of the Mala Gallery of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Photo by Oleksandr Popneko.

Timeline and description:

  • 1 July — 26 August — online program: presentation of the artistic practice by the participants; dividing into pairs for further collaborative work in the project; lectures from invited artists and theorists; weekly discussions and creation of the project; discussion of the exhibition in LCA Mala Gallery.
  • 19 — 23 September — offline program: arrival in Kyiv; meeting with actors of Kyiv cultural scene and visiting artists’ studios; collective discussions of the exhibition; set-up; the opening of the exhibition.

For whom:

  • Visual artists who work with: video, photography, installation, mixed media, text, use online tools, and digital editors.
  • Emerging artists and artists with experience of exhibitions and residencies (middle career artists).
  • Artists ready to create a joint project in collaboration with a participant from another country; to communicate online; to participate in group discussions of projects every week; to make a public presentation of the project.
  • Residents of Lower Austria or Ukraine.
  • Knowledge of English at the level of at least B1.
  • The residency has no age restrictions.

The residents are provided with travel costs, accommodation, per diem in Kyiv throughout the offline residency period, a production budget for the implementation of the joint project, and an honorarium in the amount of €400. Artists will have mentorship guidance, full access to the space of the LCA Mala Gallery of Mystetskyi Arsenal, and project production support.

The deadline for the applications is June 15, 2021. The application in English should be sent in PDF with the subject “Temporary Un/Availability Residency” to [email protected].

Applications must include the following:

  • Contact information (name, address, email, website);
  • Motivation letter explaining the reasons to apply and the desired focus of work while the residency (max. 2 pages);
  • Brief CV (max. 2 pages);
  • Portfolio (max. 25 MB).

Working language: English.

Ukrainian-Austrian Art Residency is an annual art project organized to strengthen international collaboration between Ukrainian and Austrian artists and cultural actors. The residency is organized by Mystetskyi Arsenal National Art and Culture Museum Complex (Kyiv) and the Austrian Cultural Forum Kyiv in cooperation with the state of Lower Austria, Office of the Government of Lower Austria, Department of Art and Culture.

Mystetskyi Arsenal. Photo from drone by Oleksandr Popneko. 

Mystetskyi Arsenal is a flagship Ukrainian cultural institution located in a historic building of the 18th century. Its activities bring together various arts — from contemporary art to literature and museum development. Mystetskyi Arsenal’s projects raise and debate important social issues, provide space for open creation of the future and comprehension of the past. The residency is implemented by the Laboratory of Contemporary Art Mala Gallery of Mystetskyi Arsenal, which presents research projects, exhibitions of young Ukrainian art, and leading international contemporary artists.

The Austrian Cultural Forum Kyiv (ACF) is part of Austria’s global network of cultural institutes. The ACF promotes Austrian art and culture in Ukraine and actively fosters the cultural exchange and dialogue between both countries.