MagiC Carpets is a platform co-funded by the Creative Europe programme and led by the Kaunas Biennale, whose main objective is to develop activities involving emerging talents (curators and artists) through a residency programme focusing on the inclusion of local communities and work in public spaces.

During the three-year project (2022-2025), the partner organisations will carry out more than 120 artist residencies, creating an extensive European network for emerging artists and curators.

Participation in the project is also an opportunity to expand the competences of socially engaged, local artists who will collaborate with artists from other countries selected through the partnership. The diversity of the organisations involved in the platform provides an opportunity to learn about other unique cultures, but also about issues and challenges from across Europe and to initiate transdisciplinary activities that reinforce the values of democracy, inclusion, social awareness and equality.

“A network on such a large scale, consisting of institutions, artists and curators at the beginning of their careers and local communities from many European cities, allows participants to weave their own artistic stories exploring deeper socio-cultural contexts, but above all increases the visibility of emerging talent.” – said the project coordinators

Who can apply to the MagiC Carpets artist network?

The call is aimed at artists at the beginning of their careers living in Poland (emerging artists) working in various fields of art (e.g. visual arts, theatre, literature). The residency projects submitted by 16 curators from across Europe focus on working with the local community and address issues related to ecology and sustainable, socially engaged art in public space. It is therefore important that the artists who apply have similar interests and also speak English at a communicative level. For more information: HERE.

Interested individuals who wish to join the MC artist network should send in English their portfolio and CV, as well as a statement answering the questions justifying their desire to participate in the project. The deadline for submissions is 15 July. Applications should be sent by email to airwro@instytutkultury.pl. For more information, visit the open call page: HERE.

How does the selection of residents proceed?

Artists who wish to be included in the network for MagiC Carpets curators, after an initial selection by our Institute’s curator, will have the opportunity to do a month-long residency at one of the project’s fifteen partner institutions between 2022 and 2025. The curator representing the host institution will be tasked with making the final decision on the selection of the artist.

Invited residents will work with local communities and will be tasked with uniting the selected group through an art project. In some cases, the artists will have the opportunity to present their project at events with the public, such as a festival, artist talk or exhibition.

MagiC Carpets partners

Kaunas Biennial (Lithuania) is leading a Creative Europe platform titled „Magic Carpets” which involves 16 wonderful cultural organisations from EU and candidate counries. Together with Diyalog Derneği (Istanbul / Turkey), Folkestone Fringe (Folkestone / UK), IDEIAS EMERGENTES – Produção Cultural, CRL (Porto (Guimarães) / Portugal), Jam Factory Art Centre (Lviv / Ukraine), Lab852 d.o.o. za promidžbu (Zagreb / Croatia), Latitudo Srl (Rome / Italy), META Cultural Foundation (Bucharest (Slon / Romania), New Theatre Institute of Latvia (Riga / Latvia), Novo Kulturno Naselje (Novi Sad / Serbia), OPENART, Örebro Kommun (Örebro / Sweden), Openspace.Innsbruck (Innsbruck / Austria), SA Tartu 2024 (Tartu / Estonia), Tbilisi International Photo Festival (Tbilisi / Georgia), Trempo (Nantes / France) and us, Wrocław Institute of Culture (Wrocław/ Poland), we will create the platform for emerging artists to start their magical journey, collect local stories and carry them across Europe.