Cross-residencies in the Mediterranean

The Art Explora Foundation and The Island Club, an independent non-profit space based in Cyprus that hosts exhibitions by local and international artists, are launching the new cultural exchange and cooperation project in the Mediterranean, the cross-residencies, in collaboration with the Art Explora festival. 

This programme of cross-residencies in partnership with some 15 residency spaces and international cultural institutions around the Mediterranean region, is designed to support contemporary creation from a transdisciplinary perspective.   

 Artists, curators and researchers from the various countries hosting the Art Explora Festival during its two-year journey, selected by the curators associated with this project, will be invited to spend a few days criss-crossing the Mediterranean aboard the ARTEXPLORER boat. This voyage of observation of natural ecosystems, tangible and intangible heritage, and issues related to the Mediterranean basin will be extended by a 1-month residency in one of the stopover cities taking part in this cultural odyssey, during which the residents will be able to discover the local art scene and meet with various cultural players and associations from the area.

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Conceived as a platform for cross-border exchanges and narratives, this cross-residency programme aims to unite a community of artists, scientists, art professionals and residency networks around crucial social, cultural and ecological issues related to the Mediterranean.

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First residency : Astrit Ismaili (Kosovo) at Triangle-Astérides, Marseille

Prefiguring the launch of Art Explora Festival in 2024, the Art Explora Foundation has joined forces with Triangle-Astérides to offer kosovar artist Astrit Ismaili a one-month residency in Marseille from September, 20 to October, 20. Triangle-Astérides is a major supporter of Marseille's art scene and a key player in its international influence, acting as a catalyst for fruitful dialogues and encounters, which this cross-residency programme aims to nurture and amplify. Astrit Ismaili will benefit from a studio at Triangle-Astérides, a living and production grant, and professional support during the residency. Astrit Ismaili will continue their research on the transformation of the first plants into flowers and their dissemination in different geographical and socio-cultural contexts. This project will echo the socio-political and ecological issues related to migration that will be explored in the Art Explora Festival programme. 

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Astrit Ismaili's residency project :  

Astrit Ismaili’s recent ongoing research revolves around the notion ‘Creativity when Limited’, referencing personal and historical figures where the subjects use creativity to overcome environmental and socio-political limitations. The research was derived while developing ‘MISS’ (2019) which started as a performance and it followed with the production of their first LP, a short film (work in progress) and a series of drawings which will be the final stage of the cycle. During the residency, Astrit Ismaili will focus on the pre-production phase a short musical, sci-fi film titled 'The First Flower', which draws connections between the botanical world and queer communities, identifying common resilience strategies in the face of future ecological and political threats.

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About the artist:

Astrit Ismaili graduated from the MA in Performance at DasArts in Amsterdam. They are currently a lecturer at Institute Art, Gender and Nature, Basel. Astrit Ismaili have received grants such as the Mondriaan Established Artist 2021, and the Young Visual Artists Awards 2011 and were a resident at ISCP in New York. They have shown work and performed at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (2023), KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2022), Neues Museum, Nuremberg, (2022), Manifesta 14, Pristina (2022), Impulstanz, Vienna (2021), Athens Biennale (2021), Salzburger Kunstverein 2020, SALTS, Basel (2018). They co-organized the performance project Prishtinë - mon amour and co-curated a number of Lost & Found, a series of events where artists, writers, scientists and musicians can introduce hybrid works that do not comfortably sit into galleries or museums.

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In collaboration with: