Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) has launched international open calls for artists, curators, musicians and performers for three separate programmes that will take place in 2020.
Submissions from practitioners from the region and around the world will be accepted.
Residency Programme for Music, Sound and Performance
The residency programme is held in conjunction with an upcoming exhibition of artist Tarek Atoui's works at Sharjah Art Foundation that will open on 21 March 2020 and run through 21 June 2020.
Known for creating his own instruments from various objects, Atoui will present a show themed around ideas of instrument-making, composition and collaboration. The open call invites musicians and artists working in music, sound and performance art to apply to the residency, where they will have the opportunity to stay in Sharjah for a length of one to two weeks during the exhibition period.
In that time, selected participants will work towards producing new work and creating experimental forms in various settings, including exhibition spaces. They will also have the opportunity to perform in the city.
The deadline for submission is November 30. Applicants must send their CV and samples of their work to residencies@sharjahart.org
Air Arabia Curator in Residence
Now in its third edition, the Air Arabia Curator in Residence programme focuses on curatorial research and exhibition making. The international open call presents curators the chance to put together an exhibition for the Sharjah Art Foundation.
During their stay in Sharjah, the selected curators will conduct research and can travel to destinations across the region. In partnering with Air Arabia, SAF can provide selected curators the opportunity to travel across the airline’s flight network in order to further their research.
The current exhibition for the Curator in Residence programme is titled ’32: The Rescore. On view until January 10, the exhibition was conceived by South Africa researcher and curator Bhavisha Panchia.
The show takes the First Congress of Arab Music, held in Cairo in 1932, as its starting point to explore how music can be an influential force in forming a country’s cultural and political identity. Considering instruments, compositions and scale as points for investigation, the show looks at how musical practices can reflect the ideologies of certain groups and cultures.
The selected curator for the 2020 edition should demonstrate an interest in regional issues, and seek to draw connections between Sharjah and the region.
The deadline for submissions is on December 15. Details on the application process can be found on Sharjah Art Foundation’s website, sharjahart.org
Production Programme
Launched in 2008, the foundation’s Production Programme has supported experimental artistic practices by the likes of Sharif Waked, Lamya Gargash, Bani Abidi, Ali Cherri, Amina Meni, and Mounira el Solh.
For the open call, artists are encouraged to propose ambitious projects that will push experiences in art and art production. Applicants can work in a range of mediums, from sculpture, installation, artist’s books and performance. The foundation’s programme offers production grants totalling $200,000 for the cycle. The selected projects will be produced by the artist and SAF.
So far, SAF’s production programme has received 1,000 submissions and has helped complete 45 projects to production.
The deadline for submissions is January 10. Details on the application process can be found on Sharjah Art Foundation’s website, sharjahart.org
