virtual

✨To all beings existing within the wonderful world of art, lend us your ears so we can lend you ours.✨
Our newest project, ArtSpeaks, is now open for applications! Keep reading to learn more!
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Many new artists that are beginning to exhibit their works may be asked to give an artist talk at an opening they’re not quite prepared for. Well-seasoned makers that have made recent changes in the direction of their practice may like to solidify their new ideas into words. An up-and-coming curator may be looking to discuss their practice and what got them interested in such a behind-the-scenes position in the art world. And many professors who are practicing artists may have wanted to discuss their unique challenges in being able to balance two demanding careers. 
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If you feel as though you connect with any of the above, then boy oh boy do we have an opportunity for you! Nefarious Contemporary’s ArtSpeaks series offers all creative minds an opportunity to share their existence within the art world through a virtual artist talk opportunity. We will be using zoom to conduct these talks and all that would like to join will be required to email us ahead of time for the link. We can't wait to hear from you, stay nefarious. 

The theme Supernatural Women opens up questions of culture, history, legend, politics, femininity and womanhood. Participants may decide to focus only on a tiny segment of the theme for their work. For example, they might focus on just one woman. Or, they might look at a group of supernatural women. They may opt not to focus on specific women, but on a female element of the supernatural that is widely known, or that could be invented by the artist.

The content of discussions during the residency will be determined by the work undertaken by participants. Some participants might plan to produce deeply conceptual work. For others the process will be more practical. Others will work on a mixture of both.

“(of a manifestation or event) attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.””

— Supernatural

The Igbo goddess Ala
The various manifestations of Eve
The women that make up the Hindu Trivedi
The Amazons
Mermaids and sirens 
Witches
Fairy godmothers
Mystics, clairvoyants and fortune tellers
A ‘supernatural beauty’
Supernatural women as a concept
The scope of gender

• Some of the questions that may arise for those incorporating supernatural women into their art practice:
• Where did the stories of these women originate?
• Who created supernatural narratives for women, and what was their purpose in doing so?
• How do supernatural women relate to real women, in the past, present and future?
• What are supernatural women made from? What shape, material, texture, colour and scale do they have? How do they sound and smell?

Timetable

The timetable takes place between 11am and 7pm local to Barcelona (CET). Use the Timezone Converter to see times in your location. 

Welcome and introduction (1h on Sunday)
The six participants will introduce themselves, say where they are from, a little about their creative background and state their intention for the week, as well as how they intend to begin that day. Facilitator shares information about the program and the organisation

Plan and Progress (30mins to 1h daily)
Report on progress from the previous day and state a plan for the current day.

Presentations (45mins to 1h daily)
Participants will each give a ten-minute presentation followed by Q&A 

Debriefing (1h on Saturday)
Participants will be asked to share their thoughts surrounding the outcomes of the residency and future plans.  

Participation Requirements

/  Prepare and deliver a ten-minute presentation of their work to fellow residents.
/  Commit to attending all meetings.
/  Allocate the majority of the working day outside the meetings to creative practice. 
/  Actively take part in discussion of others work, seek ways to contribute ideas and offer support to fellow residents.
/  Be willing to listen to the ideas and support from fellow residents regarding their own work.
/  Contribute one ‘daily newsletter’ of inspirational content (text or visual) to be sent to residents (a template will be provided).
/ Abide by our community guidelines.
/ Be familiar with and able to use the apps Google Meet and Telegram. Attention to video calling set up is essential.

A virtual program allows those who cannot travel to take part. However, the residency is also a commitment, and shouldn’t be undertaken unless at least four-to-five hours per day can be set aside to attend meetings and move creative work forward. 

Residency fees are by donation. All donations are considered income and we pay tax on them. The reason we ask for donations, rather than charging fees, is because it means that we can attract a more diverse group of artists.

If every participant were to pay €100 we would cover our running costs. But we realise that this will not be possible for every artist and we encourage them to apply regardless.

Those living in countries with lower per-capita GDP, those who are unemployed or those affected by low-incomes should feel comfortable giving less. If the people that can afford to give more choose to do so they will help us continue this model of inclusion into the future.

We continue to work towards a funded model, but have so far struggled to find a resource that will fund a completely global project. If you know of one, please let us know!