Why Artist Residencies in the Periphery are Essential
Far from being a luxury or a holiday, an artist residency can be a tool for re-imagining and re-structuring the ecology of art, especially in critical times.
Rowdy SS, 'Balance', Chios, Greece 2022. Courtesy of the artist and DEO Projects Photo:
Thanassis Gatos
In this first article of three during my research traineeship at DutchCulture | TransArtists, I argue that artist residencies in peripheries have greater potential than offering just a break, a getaway and a shelter to artists from sociopolitical and financial crises they are faced with nowadays. Instead, artist residencies can function as places where processes of deep mapping and long-term relationships of care between the visiting artists and the surrounding community can be established. Additionally, artist residencies, together with galleries and local contributions, can foster a decentralization and a recentralization of practices, which can be crucial and beneficial for all stakeholders.