*BACKYARD RESIDENCIES!*
Program of Artists’ Residencies in SEE region, supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers
“Backyard residencies” is the project conceived as a residency program for visual artists in SEE region who wish to carry out projects of artistic research within the region. The project is based upon the need to open up regional co-operation focusing on artistic research, reflections and actions regarding the very conditions of living and working in the SEE region. The residencies are meant for ambitious artists, without any age limit, who are living in the region and who may conceive projects which would be both beneficial for artists and their careers and for locations where they would conduct their research. The program is open for applicants from the following countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.
After almost one year since its start, one can confirm that”Backyard residencies” is the project which strengthened the network collaboration between the cultural institutions in SEE region. Apart from the collaboration between the three institutions which took residents in the period June 2006/June 2007, other respectable independent organizations in the region were contacted in order to establish and motivate their interest in participating in such project. Many institutions showed their considerable interest in participating it this project (GMK from Zagreb, Galery EXIT from Peje, Centre Stacion from Prishtine, Centre for Contemporary Art from Podgorica, and a series of respected individuals who head art institutions including Edi Muka from Tirana, Suzana Milevska from Skopje, etc).
Artists and institutions which participated in this project, as well as many who showed their interest in participating in it in the following year, all agree that the continuation of this project will be essential for the development of arts and culture in the region. The task is to build a bigger and more comprehensive network of contacts in all the countries so that in the possible continuation of this project in 2007/2008 there will be more applications from all countries and more quality applications in general.
Backyard residencies artists per host institution:
Vector Association, Iasi
Asli Cavusoglu, Turkey
Dez.org (Jelena Radic, Boba Stojadinovic), Serbia and Montenegro
Andrea Faciu, Romania
Nebojsa Milikic, Serbia and Montenegro
Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Centre, Istanbul
Veronika Tzekova, Bulgaria
Isidora Ficovic, Serbia and Montenegro
Katarina Zdjelar, Serbia and Montenegro
Maja Rozman, Croatia
New media center_kuda.org, Novi Sad
Ender Gelgec, Turkey
Alban Muja, Kosovo
Ana Peraica, Croatia
Luchezar Boyadziev, Bulgaria
