What is AiR?
AiR stands for Artist in Residence. Once or twice each year the AVA’s Salon a.k.a. Voorkamer morphs into an artist’s studio. Since 2015 artists from Limpopo, Sudan/Kenya, Kalahari, Switzerland, Germany and Angola have been in residence in this street-facing space, creating new work that develops into a Studio exhibition after two or three months.
Project Description & Objectives
The desired outcome of AiR is the promotion of visiting artists and their work in Cape Town and South Africa, to the benefit (networks, reputation and/or economic) of all parties involved.
The AVA Residency Programme 2017-2023 is based on the following framework:
Cape Town is the new global hot spot for contemporary art, plus a top tourist destination. But it does not have a high-profile artist residency programme.
Maximum two artists/year.
Nine to sixteen weeks’ period each.
Annual programme includes international exchanges, focus on Africa, and South African artists from outside of the Western Cape.
Studio space in current AVA salon space (aka Voorkamer).
Accommodation at Greatmore House, Observatory.
Arranged mentorship visits by art school lecturers, curators (tap into visiting international curators, local art galleries, independent South African curators), museums and institutions (Iziko, Zeitz MOCAA, A4 etc.)
Building networks within Africa, where possible making use of existing events. Starting with South Africa’s immediate neighbours: artists from SADC countries.
Strategic in terms of coinciding with events (linkages with other art events e.g. Spier art events, Cape Town Art Fair, World Summit on Arts & Culture, AICA conference etc, where possible incl. financial burden sharing with these and other event partners).
Each residence culminates in an exhibition of a comprehensive component of art from the visiting artist in an upcoming AVA in-house exhibition (e.g. Salon).
Conceptualizing tool for future AVA exhibitions.
Unconventionally designed, to include Laboratory- or Workshop-driven components where possible, and to include exhibition and/or performance components.
Targeting an informed audience of artists, thinkers, art lovers, curators, authors, designers etc, but also particularly attractive for general audiences: have a sneak-peek into the production of art.
Project Plan
Past Residents
AiR projects ideally take place over a nine-week period
Week 1- 2: Moving into the studio and Studio Warming event.
Week 3 -7: Production of new work in the AVA studio space and/or externally in situ, meeting peers & potential partners.
Week 8-9: Presentations, i.e. First Thursday, work in progress and opening of studio show. Possibly: participation in ICTAF (February), meeting curators.
