Applications Open: Gasworks London, 2018

GASWORKS LONDON UK

Gasworks Residency Open Call 2018 – The Charles Wallace India Trust/Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Award 2018 Residency for Indian Artists, from 2 April to 18 June 2018

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 28 NOVEMBER 2017

Charles Wallace India Trust and Gasworks have an ongoing partnership to offer a fully funded residency at Gasworks, London for an artist based in India, from 2 April to 18 June 2018. Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation became joint partners in 2011. The Foundation was established in 1976 by Indoo Shivdasani as a permanent platform for his philanthropic activities and focuses on providing scholarships, grants and awards in any field for outstanding young Indians to develop their professional, scientific, artistic and cultural abilities.

Gasworks’ residencies are opportunities for self-led professional development, artistic exchange and experimentation and this year’s residency offers the opportunity to engage with the project Working Practices, a collaborative programme devised by Clark House Initiative, Mumbai, and The Showroom, London,with an exhibition curated by Sumesh Sharma taking place at The Showroom in May 2018. The project will look at the undercurrents of caste, class and Blackness, drawing on the connections between the British Black Arts movement and Indian contemporary art. It will look at the ways in which artists are seeking social change and justice through their practices, with some works critically addressing contemporary labour and living conditions.

Established by Zasha Colah and Sumesh Sharma, Clark House Initiative is a curatorial collaborative and a union of artists based in Mumbai concerned with ideas of freedom. Their programme and approach to commissioning has strong affinities with The Showroom, which itself has a track record of linking experimental artistic practice to a range of communities of interest and political concerns.

Please note: The Showroom is not obliged to show the works devised as part of the residency in the exhibition and the final decision on what will be included lies with The Showroom and Clark House Initiative.

HOW TO APPLY

THE RESIDENCY COMPRISES:

• 24-hour access to a fully accessible studio at Gasworks, alongside other visiting artists and Gasworks’ permanent studio holders.
• An Open Studio, or similar public presentations, at Gasworks – Single room accommodation within Gasworks Residencies House (a 3-story house, shared with 3 other artists-in-residence)
• Basic living expenses in London (£150 p/week) – Economy return flights from the artist’s home city to London
• Travel card (zones 1+2) for unlimited travel within central London for the duration of the residency
• Administrative, pastoral and curatorial support from Gasworks (during office hours)

SELECTION AND ELIGIBILITY

The residency focuses on self-led professional development, artistic exchange and experimentation and is open to emerging and mid-career Indian artists, under the age of 40, resident in India. Contemporary visual artists working in all disciplines may apply, though one must note Gasworks’ restricted facilities. Emerging and mid-career artists producing high quality work and who have not had the opportunity to work in London before will be prioritised.

Applicants should submit a project proposal outlining their specific research interests and intentions for the residency. Those who fail to submit a proposal that is specific to this opportunity, including the Working Practices exhibition context, will not be considered. Applicants should also have at least a moderate level of spoken English and should feel comfortable discussing their own and other’s work in English. It is important that applicants research Gasworks thoroughly before submitting their proposal so as to be fully aware of the context which they would, if successful, be entering.

SELECTION PROCESS

The artist will be selected on the basis of their application. A decision will be made in liaison with The Showroom, Clark House Initiative, the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation and Charles Wallace India Trust. All applicants will be notified by Friday 22 December.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

We accept digital applications only. Please use the online application form at the bottom of the relevant opportunity page on the Gasworks’ website.

Your application should include the following in ONE PDF file only:

1. An artist’s statement describing your practice and areas of interest (up to 250 words)
2. A minimum of 10 images of recent work, with captions and a short description if necessary including evidence of previous experience in developing and delivering new commissions
3. A CV/Resume
4. A simple statement outlining your plans, if you were to be offered the residency, which should include a short description of an intended research project responding to the themes of the Working Practices project synopsis and a brief description of your proposal (up to 500 words). This proposal does not have to be definitive and can change during the course of the residency, but should indicate the direction, scale and relevance of your ideas.
5. Any relevant documentation (e.g. articles or papers about work, exhibitions, publications, etc)
6. A cover sheet with name, contact address, e-mail and telephone numbers if available, plus confirmation that you will be available from 2 April to 18 June 2018, if selected.