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Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) invites artists, curators, musicians and performers from around the region and the world to apply to three open calls: the Production Programme, the Air Arabia Curator in Residence programme, and the Residency Programme for Music, Sound and Performance, which is linked to an upcoming exhibition of works by artist Tarek Atoui at SAF. The exhibition will open on 21 March 2020 and run through 21 June 2020.
The programmes offer grants and professional support to local, regional and international artists and art practitioners, furthering the foundation’s mission to provide a platform and opportunities for the production and presentation of contemporary art.
Further information regarding each of the three open calls follows below.
Open Call: Residency Programme for Music, Sound and Performance
Submission deadline: 30 November 2019
In conjunction with the upcoming exhibition of works by artist Tarek Atoui, SAF invites practitioners and artists working in music, sound and performance to apply to this residency programme, which will be an integral part of the exhibition. The exhibition will mark 11 years of collaboration between Atoui, SAF and Sharjah audiences.
Centring around experimental and innovative musical forms, the upcoming exhibition will explore instrument making, composition and collaboration.
During the residency, participating musicians, composers and artists will interact with different audiences and experiment with a range of exhibition spaces, listening situations and instruments in order to develop or produce new work. There may be opportunities to perform in Sharjah.
The foundation will offer a number of residencies during the exhibition period, each lasting from one to two weeks.
Musicians or composers working with electronic, experimental or improvised musical forms and artists working in sound and/or performance are welcome to apply. Knowledge of and experience with sound are mandatory.
Applicants should send their CV and samples of their work to residencies@sharjahart.org by 30 November 2019.
Open Call: Air Arabia Curator in Residence
Submission deadline: 15 December 2019
Expanding on its support of curatorial research and exhibition making, Sharjah Art Foundation in partnership with Air Arabia announces its annual open call for the Air Arabia Curator in Residence programme.
Through an international open call, this programme offers curators the opportunity to undertake a residency in Sharjah and organise an exhibition to be presented at Sharjah Art Foundation. During the residency, the selected curators conduct research and receive support for travel to destinations within Air Arabia’s flight network (operating from Sharjah to 70 cities around the world) to further their research.
The selected curators will benefit from the foundation’s institutional support and technical expertise while enriching the local, regional and international context in which the foundation works through their research, travel and exhibition curating.
Although the specific aims of each curatorial residency may vary, the foundation seeks proposals that demonstrate a genuine interest in engaging with the regional context and highlighting connections between Sharjah and the greater region Air Arabia serves.
Candidates should complete the application form for this programme, available on the foundation’s website, and send it to residencies@sharjahart.org by 15 December 2019.
Open Call: Production Programme
Submission deadline: 10 January 2020
Returning for its 11th year, the Production Programme open call invites artists and art practitioners from across the MENASA region to propose imaginative, ambitious and inspirational projects that will transform our understanding of what art is and how it can be experienced.
This programme offers production grants to artists working in a range of media, including sculpture, installation, time-based media, artist’s books and performance. A total of $200,000 is available in this application cycle. The submission deadline is 10 January 2020, and selections will be announced in March. The selected projects will be developed and produced by the artist and the foundation.
The Sharjah Art Foundation Production Programme broadens the possibilities for the production of art in the MENASA region by supporting innovation and excellence in artistic practice through the encouragement of experimentation and risk-taking.
The Production Programme was launched in 2008. Over 1000 submissions have been received, 500 applications considered and 45 projects selected for production.
Candidates should complete the application form for this programme, available on the foundation’s website, and send it to productionprogramme@sharjahart.org by 10 January 2020.
To learn more and apply, visit sharjahart.org.