Whose voices are being heard? Exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway 

“Whose voices are being heard? Exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway” is a year and a half long project that the Wrocław Institute of Culture (Wrocław, PL), Hvitsten Salong (Hvitsten/NO) and Safemuse (Oslo/NO) are implementing thanks to EEA funding under the Culture Programme. It’s main goal is to equalize the opportunities and visibility of artists belonging to minorities and to create safe and inclusive spaces for artistic work. 

The project of artistic residencies exchange between Poland and Norway deals with topics related to the migration of artists, practices of including minorities in cultural activities on equal terms and presenting them to the majority society. It assumes the organization of cyclical artistic residencies, study visits, accompanying events for artists, institutions and audiences in Poland and Norway in order to professionalize artists and develop their entrepreneurship in the cultural sector and shape the skills of international cooperation between Poland and Norway. 

In 2023, six artists from Poland will have the opportunity to go on a month-long residency in Hvitsten and take part in the local art and music festival Hvitsten Salong 2023, and six artists from Norway will be invited to the Wrocław Cultural Institute. Artists on both sides of the Baltic Sea will be supported by curators, in the adaptation, research and creative process. 

Apply NOW! Be a resident of the project “Whose voices are heard?” and join the exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway! We are waiting for applications until January 31, 2023. 

Join the international exchange programme:

• When will the residencies take place?   
• Who can apply?  
• How to apply? 
• What are the benefits for the artist?  

When will the residencies take place?   

The residencies will take place from spring to autumn 2023, on dates agreed between the selected artists and the hosting organisations.  

Who can apply?  

The call is aimed at artist, focusing especially (but not exclusively) on female artists that are migrants or belong to minority groups, at different stages of their career:  

→ representing various fields of contemporary art (mainly visual arts, but also performing arts and others);

→ living or residing in Poland including foreign artists living in Poland; who want to go for a month-long residency in 2023 and participate in the Hvitsten Salong 2023 festival taking place at the beginning of August (detailed dates of the residency are agreed with Hvitsten Salong)  

→ who are interested in themes related to migration, inclusion, majority-minority relations, engaged art, art made in public space, the role of the artist and art in society and social change. → living or residing in Poland including foreign artists living in Poland;  

The residencies will take place from spring to autumn 2023, on dates agreed between the selected artists and the hosting organisations.  

How to apply? 

To apply for the residency, submit in English: 

→ a portfolio in .pdf format and a CV (max. 10 MB) in English;    

→ answers to the questions: Why would you like to participate in the project? What would you like to do during your residency? What topics move you most in your artistic work? A statement of 1500-2000 characters with spaces. 

The deadline for submissions is 31 January 2023. Send your application via email to: airwro@instytutkultury.pl with the following title: NAME and SURNAME – Whose voices are being heard?  

What are the benefits for the artist?  

Selected artists will receive artistic fee, and accommodation. They will work with a local curator and will have the opportunity to create in a safe environment and to learn about the cultural life in Norway and Hvitsten. In addition, the project “Whose voices are being heard?” offers an educational component for artists with the aim of professionalizing their work. The artist will work in an international environment and will have the chance to learn about the work of the host institution and the local community. The project is carried out in collaboration with the NGO Safemuse, which supports artists at risk.   

Partners  

The program is organised by: Wrocław Institute of Culture, a private artistic institution Hvitsten Salong in the small town of Hvitsten (a town with limited access to culture) and NGO Safemuse from Oslo, which in their daily work deals with the promotion of contemporary art, audience development and support for artists from minority groups struggling with acclimatization, wishing to actively join ambitious events organized by the local environment. For these three institutions, art is a tool for social change, and all of them focus on creating safe conditions for artistic work and connecting artists with the public interested in art. 

“Whose voices are being heard? Exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway” is co-financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway within the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 under the Culture Programme.