MORPHO presents New Comfort Zones
Open call for residencies
August 2022 – December 2023
MORPHO is now welcoming applications in the framework of New Comfort Zones, a programme that invites artists and researchers in residence to examine the dynamics and conventions of our personal and institutional relationships, and the parallels and overlaps between them. Inspired by our own recent transformation, New Comfort Zones will unfold in concert with each resident’s vision and voice while exploring how we can learn with others.
MORPHO provides studios to over 200 artists in the city, receives around 20 (inter)national residents each year with whom we establish lasting relationships and trajectories, and creates artistic programmes, often with partners we admire. We are located behind Antwerp Central Station and the Zoo, in a former monastery plus townhouse, and share a garden with Kunsthal Extra City. We also regularly host events and presentations in the Refectory, our project space.
This call is open to applicants to the development residency (a five-month residency for artists living and/or working in Antwerp and Flanders) and the research residency (a two-month residency for Belgian-based writers, curators, and other researchers beyond the visual). Our exchange residency for international artists is organised in collaboration with partner organisations.
Development residency
• Cycle 1 – 01.08—31.12.2022
• Cycle 2 – 01.02—30.06.2023
• Cycle 3 – 01.08—31.12.2023
The development residency is open to artists living and/or working in Antwerp, of any age and active in any medium, who want to develop their practice during a longer stay. Artists in Flanders whose work relates to the larger idea of New Comfort Zones are welcome to apply, but should be aware that accommodation is not provided.
In the selection process, we pay particular attention to inspiring exchanges between the international and the local, as well as the cross-pollination between visual arts and live practices such as sound art, performance, cooking, gardening, etc., which, in comparison to traditional art spaces, fit well into a residency context.
Research residency
• Cycle 1 – 01.08—30.09.2022
• Cycle 2 – 01.02—31.03.2023
• Cycle 3 – 01.08—30.09.2023
The research residency is open to Belgian-based writers, curators and other practices beyond the visual, who wish to conduct research related to the reflection, presentation, or social context of the arts during a shorter stay in dialogue with the New Comfort Zones programme. Accommodation in the residency house is possible if desired.
Depending on their interests and areas of expertise, the residents are encouraged to share their research and set up a supportive interaction with the resident artists, the thematic programme and/or the internal functioning of the organisation. Particular attention is paid to researchers who reflect on the conditions and structures in which artists develop their work today.
What we offer each resident
• €1,000 per month (paid as wages under Collective Labor Agreement 329.01, scale B1c or by invoice)
• 24/7 access to and use of the shared residency house at Ploegstraat 27
• an individual workspace in the house or the former monastery adjacent
Our team provides residents with financial, practical and curatorial support to develop their work in an open environment that encourages critical dialogue and artistic experimentation. The programme is structured in weekly sessions and includes studio visits, collective discussions, and curated dinners in the company of visiting artists and other guests.
How to apply
Please submit in the following order, in English if possible:
• Motivation letter stating your desired residency period, ideally giving more than one option (approx. 300 words)
• Project or research proposal (approx. 300 words)
• Portfolio of works and artist CV (max. 10 pages)
Please send all files in a single PDF (max. size 15MB) to info@morphovzw.be, with the subject ‘New Comfort Zones Development’ or ‘New Comfort Zones Research’, depending on the residency you are applying for. The application deadline is 22 March 2022.
Selection procedure
Applications will be reviewed by MORPHO’s artistic advisory board, which in 2022-2023 consists of: Yann Chateigné Tytelman, Julia Dahee Hong, Helen Dowling, Angie Keefer and Tomasz Kowalski. They will also return as guests in the residency sessions, among others.
For those who have additional questions, we will organise an online information session soon. Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media. The results will be announced by the end of April 2022. We will respond to every application regardless of the outcome.
(Image courtesy of Günbike Erdemir, current development resident)
