
AiR Tilburg - SEA Foundation
The AiR Tilburg Netherlands program is part of the Dutch SEA Foundation organisation. The AiR Tilburg Netherlands international residency program offers a unique environment, providing time and space for research, experimentation and professional advancement. Every year, the residency program facilitates 6 – 10 professional artists, curators and art writers in all stages of their careers. The residency can be aimed at research as well as production.
Open Call: By means of an open call, art professionals in any stage of their career can apply once a year for admittance to the AiR Tilburg Netherlands residency program. This program is suited to local as well as international art practitioners: artists, writers, curators, sound artists, cultural managers, and academics. The AiR Tilburg Netherlands residency program offers purpose-build live/work studios for residents developing individual projects and immersing themselves in the region’s creative sphere. The residencies are run alongside an exhibition and public programme, enabling residents to benefit from activities that draw participants and mentors from a wide range of backgrounds.
Aims of the residency:
• To support the production of art and the development of art theory.
• To evoke discourse on art and art practices within a local and global context.
• To promote and relay critical, researched-based production of art.
• To facilitate exchange between art intermediaries and artists, creating an expert network.
As an AiR Tilburg Netherlands resident you have uninterrupted work time. Depending on your proposal you may focus on the production of new work, research as well as the development of concepts. During each residency period there is room for optional activities, that are conceived to promote collaboration and empower participants, as well as facilitate interdisciplinary experiences. Resident artists, writers and curators can embrace the role of contributing to an active platform of thinking, discussion, production and sharing.
It is possible to give a talk, workshop, end the residency with an exhibition, draft a proposal, work with local organizations, revise a manuscript or make an artist book to name a few. AiR Tilburg Netherlands assists residents by approaching contacts and making arrangements as and when the project requires. Depending on the nature of the work, residents work with external mentors, curators, masters and SEA Foundation team members. This results in a tailor-made residency program, aimed to develop one’s artistic practice to the highest level.
- Artists: Studio 110 m2. Well equipped, perfect northern daylight studio, with workshop and a comfortable private entre sol guest room (up to a maximum of 2 guests), bathroom en-suite, overlooking the studio, and a garden terrace. Incl. mentoring up to 4 hours per week, peer-to-peer talks, guidance, technical advice, WIFI, and outings.
- Curators and writers: Studio 38 m2. Well equipped study room, guest room (sleeps 2 max), bathroom en-suite, and a south-facing balcony 35 m2. Incl. mentoring up to 4 hours per week, peer-to-peer talks, guidance, WIFI and outings.
Together with SEA Foundation, the AiR Tilburg Netherlands studio’s are located in an Amsterdam School style building in Tilburg’s town centre. Previously this building was a tobacco merchant's city dwelling, and recently artists transformed it into a hub for artistic activity where exhibitions, talks, meet-ups, screenings and residencies are organized.
The residence itself is of high quality and comprises 2 live/work studios (for single or double occupancy) each with a private bathroom and studio-working facilities. AiR Tilburg Netherlands’ studios are secure, set in a private lush town garden and are accessible 24/7. They have plentiful natural light and offer seclusion and tranquility, yet are in close vicinity of vibrant city activities. On the ground floor there is a Project Space that stages public and/or discursive activities. Apart from the resident’s studios, there are also common rooms like a kitchen, a salon, a dining room, a gallery, a garden and another pair of guest bedrooms with en-suite facilities. Therefore, AiR Tilburg Netherlands, can accommodate up to 8 people at once.