Arteco call for two residency/research grants

A collection of prints dating between the 16th and 19th century housed in a library depot, what use does it have today? What can it tell us about the age it was constituted and reorganised? How can this information make us think about current matters? Can an artist shed light on what of past ages remains in the present and rethink what history has crystallised, acting as a motor of shared consciousness?

Arteco is glad to present a cycle of artist residencies aimed at drawing attention to archives and inert collections in Italy, acknowledging how the visual languages of contemporary art can reinterpret and re-enact narratives, so as to conceive new forms of critical thinking not only about the recognition of the value art-historical heritage has today, and the role principal cultural institutions play, but also about contemporary themes. Within the project present_continuous – winner of the grant project funder35 2016 – is a call for two residencies/research grants for contemporary artists aimed at studying a collection of prints from the Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria in Turin.

Between 1860 and 1890 Turin experienced a thriving historical phase, parallelled by a political reorganisation, in which four city institutions – the Accademia Albertina, the Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria, the Galleria Sabauda (Regia Galleria) and the Biblioteca Reale – seemed to be joined by the same interest in giving relevance to their prints collections: at the time, prime movers not only in education, but also in the knowledge of old masters. Among the key players in this history is connoisseur Giovanni Volpato, who reorganised the collections in the Biblioteca Nazionale and the Albertina, creating albums which can be defined as actual atlases made up of prints cut out, pasted and juxtaposed. Some of these albums – thematically ordered by French school and Flemish school – would be the starting point for studies devoted to creating ever-changing connections.

The artist and/or collective is therefore required to renew the perception of the archive and the collections in storage as slumbering spaces, helping create short circuits, prompt debates and give voice to the social and cultural emergencies of our time.

Requirements:

• This call is addressed to Italian and foreign artists and/or collectives aged under 40, who work in all fields of the visual arts and contemporary research, with no restrictions of technique or medium.
• The artist and/or collective will be called for a 3-month residency, of which at least 30 days spent in Turin, to be considered not consecutive but overall including research period, production, exhibition mounting and dismounting, between October 2018 and April 2019 (dates to be defined).
• The candidates are kindly asked to submit a proposal outlining the specific research interests relevant to the residency.
• Attend the training course devoted to studying the prints collection (5 days in autumn 2018 with curators and professionals in the field).
• Be available for a series of talks and similar activities open to the public aimed at presenting one’s work (introductory meeting, studio visit and project debate).
• Produce at least one site-specific work as a presentation piece of the residency period, which will be showcased in spring 2019 at a public event (a talk, a workshop, a screening, a conference or an exhibition).
• Authorise the dissemination of images and texts for communication material and a publication connected to the public event.
• Each of the afore-mentioned activities will be overseen and supported (technical, research and production assistance) by Arteco team.

Each selected artist and/or collective will receive a research grant of € 4,000 (gross, including VAT) thus divided:

• € 2,000 to cover the costs of travels, training period, activities required and research.
• Up to € 1,000 to cover the making of works.
• Up to € 1,000 to cover insurance and accommodation expenses.

The research grant payment is issued 50% during the stay of the artist and/or collective (production and accommodation costs) and 50% at the end of the residency period. In case the activities planned are not carried out, all benefits will be lost.

Candidates are kindly asked to send the following documents written in Italian or English via email to [email protected]:

• An updated portfolio presenting past works and projects (maximum size 10 Mb) including a CV with a signed authorisation for the processing of personal information (legislative decree 196/2003, GDPR UE 2016/679).
• A project proposal outlining the specific research interests involved in the residency (PDF format, maximum 2,000 characters).
• Application form 

Candidates must send their application by 24th June 2018. Incomplete applications or those received after said limit will not be taken into consideration. Arteco will confirm via email the application has been received.