Everyday Forms of Resistance – Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art

Everyday Forms of Resistance is an exchange and public program that has come about as a result of the collaboration between AIR Antwerpen; Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw (U–jazdowski); Helsinki International Artist Programme (HIAP); and the Municipality of Ramallah. This project offers residencies for six visual artists and centers itself on the question: “Can an artistic intervention translate social tensions into narratives that in turn intervene in the imaginary landscape of a place?” (Francis Alÿs, The Green Line, 2004). It looks at the role of artistic practice and mobility in the specific circumstances of Ramallah and Palestine and does this through the strategy of exchange.

The first part of the residencies (April–June 2019) is open to artists from Belgium, Finland, and Poland. One artist from each of these countries will be selected to spend three month living and working in the city of Ramallah.

The second part of the residencies (autumn 2019) is open to Palestinian artists and will enable them to spend a three-month residency in Warsaw, Antwerp, or Helsinki. Each country will host one Palestinian artist.

The exchange program, modeled to encourage artists to engage in conversations among themselves and with their audiences, will culminate in a series of talks and meetings in Warsaw at the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in November 2019.

This open call is for art practitioners working in the field of visual arts in its broadest sense. A professional committee will select artists based on the professional excellence of the applicant’s work. The committee members are Sally Abu Bakr, Director of the department Culture and Social Affairs at Ramallah Municipality; Yazid Anani, Director of the Public Program at Qattan Foundation; Khaldun Bshara, Director of Riwaq Centre in Ramallah; Juha Huuskonen, Director HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme; Jack Persekian, Director Al Ma’mal Foundation; Ika Sienkiewicz-Nowacka, Head of Artistic Residencies at Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw; Bogna Świątkowska, Head of Bęc Zmiana Foundation and Alan Quireyns, Artistic Director AIR Antwerpen. This committee will announce the results of their evaluation of the submitted applications by 30 November 2018.