04.03.2025

For the first time, we invite curators to examine the achievements and experience of the current residency programme of AIR InSILo and develop their vision for a new future themed open call for artists. There is no requirement for the topic of the suggestions, but they should demonstrate the necessity, relevance, and significance of such a programme at AIR InSILo, taking into account its concept, direction and location.

The curator-in-residence will be expected to work in-depth on their proposal during an 7-week stay at AIR InSILo, which should evolve into a fully developed project. Meetings with the residency supervisors will be arranged to support this process, and time will be allocated for on-site research. As an outcome of this residency period, we require a completed proposal for a future open call for artists, presented as a structured project with a mandatory written component and a video interview.

This call is addressed to curators who:

• Are willing to design a future call for AIR InSILo.
• Wish to co-curate a future round at AIR InSILo.
• Explore the concept and phenomenon of artist residencies.
• Are interested in issues of regionalism and localism.
• Critically reflect on the concept of sustainability concerning artistic practice.
• Focus on relational ethics and solidarity practices within the artistic community.
• Work with socially engaged practices.
• Live in relevant proximity to the AIR InSILo (in Austria and surrounding/ neighbouring countries;

the prospective co-curation work for future open calls will demand to commute).

When preparing your application, please review information about the residency (available in About), previous open calls (available in the InSILo Magazine), and the Recalibration text.

You may wish to consider the following structural components:

Required:

• Proposals for the content and structure of a new open call for the InSILo residency. This part may consist of the following parts: abstract, research questions, objectives, working methods, working plan, and timetable.

Optional:

• Suggestions for the programme budget and the distribution of roles.
• Proposals for a public programme.
• Ideas for a more sustainable approach to the Emergency Programme.
• Considerations regarding the audience of the residency and the desired profile of participating artists.
• Reflections on issues of localism, peripherality, and isolation.
• Proposals on the criteria for evaluating artist applications, including ethical aspects of quotas and quality assessment.
• A list of books and literature you plan to use in your research.

We do not demand the complete concept now (this is something you are offered time and space to work on); rather, we prefer to see a clear plan and direction for your future work.

Please note that we do not have the capacity to provide feedback on your applications.

We will launch a Q&A Zoom session on April 10th at 18:00 CEST. If you want to attend, please pre-register via email in.silo.air@gmail.com (Subject: Q&A + Your Name). You will receive a Zoom link a few hours before the meeting.

GUIDELINES
• A proposal must match the conceptual direction of the new call. Extra consideration will be given to disarming creativity and irrestrainable experimentation.
• AIR InSILo pays significant attention to the principles of inclusivity and diversity. There is no age limit, and our primary focus is on late-emerging/ early mid-career curators, especially coming to the 'critical' threshold – the age of 35 when institutional support is already fading.
• Special attention will be given to:
– working mothers;
– underrepresented curators;
– curators from countries with minimum/ non-existing support for art and culture;
– LGBTIQA+ representatives;
• We do not accept applications from students (except for PhD candidates).
• The selected artist should spend less than 80% of the time in the residency (Generally meaning weekdays for work and weekends for leisure, but could be otherwise).

Unfortunately, the residency is not equipped for wheelchair access and is not considered entirely safe for children under three y.o. But we would like to be as inclusive as possible. Don't hesitate to contact us to clarify the special conditions.

LONG-TERM RESIDENCE/ 4 SLOTS
• 7-week residence (June - July; July - August; August - September, September - October 2025) in AIR InSILo;
• A honorarium of 2625 Euros (flat rate; regardless, individual or collective; no fees or taxes are covered);
• A coverage of travel costs up to 300 Euros (regardless, individual or collective; no fees or taxes are covered);
• A coverage of transport costs up to 200 Euros (regardless, individual or collective; no fees or taxes are covered);
• Usage of the facilities and equipment provided by the AIR InSILo;
• Featuring in the InSILo Magazine;
• PR support is provided by digital means of AIR InSILo.
• Invitation to co-curate a future call (after a successful project funding)

SELECTION PROCESS
• The deadline for the first round of the open call is April 16 (16:00 CEST). The shortlist selection will be made by April 25. After the first selection, the applicants will be contacted for further clarification and will be given four days to update the application. The final selection will be made by May 4.
• All applicants will be notified of results no later than
May 12.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
NB! Spend as much time on it as you deem reasonable.

One can choose only a single time slot. The dates are fixed and cannot be discussed.
A submission proposal should be put in one PDF file (10 MB).
It should contain:
• A proposal letter with a conceptual direction and envision of a suggested open-call topic. It should be submitted in two versions: a short abstract – up to 1000 characters (with spaces), and a full version – up to 4000-5000 characters;
• A presentation of the main proposal. This part may consist of the following parts: abstract, research questions, objectives, working methods, working plan, timetable, illustrations, drafts, sketches, links, etc., in case you already have them.
• BIO – up to 1000 characters (with spaces);
• Portrait* – b/w, vertical, 1500 px on a longer side, with ©;
• An image illustrating your proposal - 1500 px on a longer side;
• CV – 3 pages maximum;
• Portfolio of realised projects – up to 10 pages;
For IMAGES: better with name, work title, year, medium, dimensions, and additional description.
For VIDEO/AUDIO: URL links for video and time-based work. Vimeo is better for video. Soundcloud is preferred for audio + password, name, title, year, duration, and additional description.
The working language of the residency is English.
Additionally, we communicate in German and Russian.
A solidarity fee should be paid before filling in the form.

DISCLAIMER
• The residency time should result in a finite proposal for future residency open calls. The curator will be further invited to work together during the new calls. This will be possible only after a successful funding application round. If the curator cannot participate in the upcoming calls, the residency will have the right to use the materials under the creator's name.
• Please thoroughly study all the premises of the InSILo residency before submitting the proposal. If you have questions which our website or social media can't answer, please attend our Q&A session on the 10th of April at 18:00 CEST (pre-registration is needed).

SOLIDARITY FEE
To support the AIR InSILo Emergency programme, we decided to implement a solidarity fee of 7 Euros. All the funds will be donated to the Emergency Program of AIR InSILo. One should pay the fee (via PayPal or other means stated on the Emergency Program page) before filling in the form.