Fellowships for international visual artists

Program description

Since 2013, Künstlerhaus Balmoral has been offering grants for one artistic genre or theme each, which is announced at the beginning of the application period at the beginning of March each year. This offer, unique in Germany, is intended to intensify the artistic exchange among the artists present. This will also result in an intensification of the subject-specific exchange with external artists, speakers, lecturers and curators, etc.

If possible, a final exhibition will be realized for all sponsored fellows of a year following the fellowship.

The annual theme for the 2024 Attendance Fellowships is.

"Immersiones.From immersion to dissolution in other spheres".

This annual theme is on the one hand about the artistic design of immersive situations, spaces and images and on the other hand about the examination of the mental implications and preconditions of immersive experiences.

A central role is also taken by the (critical) reflection and definition of the concept of the immersive, which in the context of contemporary art is primarily associated with technical developments and possibilities (for example AR/VR).

The focus is on experiences of being completely immersed. Immersion in something and the interaction with it are to be artistically illuminated, tested and felt.

What is immersion?

The experience of immersion ranges historically from the wall fresco to the interactive pictorial space and often works together with the principle of illusionism. In most cases, immersion in a sphere is conditional on a separate field appearing isolated from the real environment and on a (sensual) attraction emanating from this field.

Immersion is something we experience not only since augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) came into existence, not only since virtual museums and gallery spaces existed or the metaverse (Facebook) knocked on our door. It goes back to the 360-degree fresco room, found successors and exegetes in the Panorama, Stereopticon, Cinéorama or IMAX cinema. Complex media and possibilities are available to us today. Smartphones attached to our hands are the most obvious. But reactive image-sound worlds have long been on the rise. And through avatars, with which we conquer new lands, almost infinitely expanding zones and immersive experiences beckon.

Despite a critical examination of the subject: immersion also offers - outside the daily clockwork of life - spaces of power. Places where we can rise above the trivial (transcendence) and relate to something (for example, a larger whole).

The potential of the theme in art: among other things, situations of tension during the experience of work, oscillation between illusory world and self-reference, illuminating states such as "homeless" or "worldless".

The Balmoral fellowships are attendance fellowships; a continuous stay is therefore obligatory.

The scholarships are endowed with 1,400 € per month plus travel allowance for the journey.

The fellows take up permanent residence in Bad Ems during their fellowship (registration is obligatory). During their fellowship, the artists should be free of all professional obligations.

A fully furnished living/bedroom with shower/WC and a studio are available to the fellows free of charge in the Künstlerhaus. Due to the historical requirements, the building is not barrier-free and the living and working studios are generally only designed for one person in terms of size and furnishings. The terms of use are regulated by the house rules, which the scholarship holder is obliged to observe. The Künstlerhaus bears all additional costs including water, electricity and heating. The common room, dining room and kitchen are shared. It is not possible to bring pets to the Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral.

A library with approximately 6,000 books, mainly on modern and contemporary art as well as the most important art magazines, is available to the fellows free of charge.

Institution

Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral

The Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral awards grants to artists from all over the world for the promotion of contemporary visual arts.

The Künstlerhaus is a place of encounter, artistic production and theoretical reflection. Since its foundation in 1995, all disciplines of the visual arts have been supported. The Künstlerhaus reaches out to the public through exhibitions, lectures and other events, establishing an intensive dialogue between artists, scholars and art enthusiasts.

The Künstlerhaus is located in a historic villa owned by a special-purpose association comprising the Rhine-Lahn district, the municipality of Bad Ems-Nassau, the city of Bad Ems and the Staatsbad Bad Ems GmbH.

Deadline

The application period runs from the beginning of March to the end of April each year.

Funding period

Three scholarships will be awarded for a period of four months each and three scholarships will be awarded for a period of eight months each.

Funding criteria

The Balmoral Residency Fellowships are open to national and international visual artists without age restriction.

Applicants for the Visiting Fellowships for Visual Artists must have completed a degree in art (M.F.A. or comparable) and have been working as an artist for at least three years up to the time of starting the fellowship. Applications from self-taught artists who distinguish themselves through special artistic achievements and can prove this through exhibitions and prizes are possible.

Language skills in English are required.

Application type

Download form, by mail

Application procedure/documents

Application documents (please do not submit originals!)

1. 2-page application form with passport photo
2. Curriculum vitae with artistic background and previous sponsorships
3. diploma
4. Explanation of artistic work and goals during the fellowship stay (max. 300 words in total)
5. Max. 10 photos or other visual material of the artistic work (max. DIN A4, no slides, no photo CDs, no Mac data CDs)

optional:

• max. 1 exhibition catalog; no group catalog
• max. 1 video file in mp4 format; no longer than 15 minutes via WeTransfer to info@balmoral.de; file name: name, title and scholarship

The application documents must not exceed the format DIN A4 and with packaging a weight of 2 kg.

Applications sent by e-mail will not be considered.

Application form
A 2-page application form is available for download for each scholarship during the application period. This form must be completed, signed and enclosed with the application. Applications without a completed and signed application form will not be accepted. Here you can find the application form for four months and here the application form for eight months.

Return shipment
The application documents will only be returned after receipt of payment in the amount of 15 € on the account mentioned in the application form. Payments received after the application deadline will not be considered.

Please note: If the note to return the application documents is not ticked, they will be automatically destroyed after the selection process has been completed.

Disclaimer
Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral accepts no liability for application documents sent in.

Applications should be sent to:
Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral
Villenpromenade 11
56130 Bad Ems

Receipt will be confirmed by email after the data has been collected. This may take up to 4 weeks after the application deadline.

Please avoid the most common mistakes when applying:

• No three years of artistic activity after graduation (attendance scholarships)The start date of the scholarship is decisive!
• Bachelor as degree: required degree: M.F.A. or equivalent
• No two years after last application: An application is only possible every 2 years!
• The degree certificate is missing

Jury/Decision-making body

The decision on the awarding of the scholarships is made by a jury of experts with special consideration of the development potential of the artistic work. The jurors make their selection according to qualitative criteria on the basis of work samples to be submitted by the applicants.

Funding area

World