Two Residencies for Roma Contemporary Artists

Aug. 28, 2019

The Villa Romana residency programme is teaming up with the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) to offer residencies to two Roma visual contemporary artists. The programme is in celebration of the upcoming installation of ‘FUTUROMA,’ which will offer new and spontaneous re-interpretations of Roma pasts, presents and futures. The ‘FUTUROMA’ exhibition is curated by Daniel Baker and commissioned by ERIAC as an official collateral event of the 58th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia.

The two-month residency aims to give visibility to Roma contemporary arts and draws upon the expertise and visions of both institutions. The open call is a unique opportunity for Roma artists and marks a significant step in recognition of the importance of Roma contemporary art practice today. The residency offers the selected artists the opportunity to concentrate on their work, to seek an exchange with other artists in the house and in the regional environment, and to deal with the history of art on site. The works produced during the Roma contemporary art residencies will be exhibited in Berlin at the ERIAC Arts Space in the second half of 2020.

In order to be eligible for the residency, applicants must be visual artists with self-declared Roma identity whose work provides a special contribution to contemporary art production. Although it is not required to send a special description of the planned project, applicants should send in a copy of their CV and portfolio, preferably in a digital format. The chosen artists will be awarded with a monthly scholarship in the amount of €1000 and will be provided with a guest room in the Villa Romana for the entire period of two months during the first half of 2020. Travel expenses will also be covered.

The jury session will take place in early November 2019. The selected members of the jury include ERIAC director Timea Junghaus, Villa Romana director Angelika Stepken, ‘FUTUROMA’ at Biennale Arte 2019 curator Daniel Baker and Timisoara Biennial 2019 co-curator Maria Lind.