ARTIST RESIDENCY
ARTIST RESIDENCY An artist residency is an opportunity provided to the artist to work in a new environment, often away from the restrictions and pressures of their everyday lives.1 Artists’ residencies provide creative professionals with time, space and resources to work, individually or collectively, on areas of their practice that reward heightened reflection or focus.4 They provide a time of reflection, research, presentation and production. These residencies host artists for a short period of time and allow them to withdraw temporarily from a society which is considered bourgeois. They are set to create their own utopia to work in. 2 Although for some artists, a residency serves as retreat or refuge for solitude, some take it as an opportunity to interact with other people. Residencies allow an individual to explore his practice within another community; using new materials, knowing a new culture, experiencing life in a new location. Artists’ residencies are an invaluable adjunct to short-term cultural exchanges, as they permit artists to develop a deeper understanding of their host societies and cultures. At the same time they create opportunities for giving insights into the cultural background of each participating artist’s own background.4 For artists who are up for networking, residencies give them an opportunity to meet artists, curators, educators from their own as well as other art forms. It gives them opportunities to collaborate or take inspiration from other artists and learn new techniques and thus, widen the horizons of their work.
Thus, an artist at an art residency is seeking engagement with people as well as places in order to inspire his creative process. The architecture and environment of the residency can inspire him and help him to be at his creative best. The interactions with the new community, environment and landscapes can allow him to explore new themes, techniques and processes inspired by the local culture. By engaging with other artist residents, he can explore collaborations with different art forms and bring a new direction to his work. Thus, the artist is looking for opportunities to engage at different levels and can be positively impacted by this engagement.
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