The second edition of the Rencontres ‘Hospitalité & création’ organised by the ACCR took place on Friday 27 September at the Centre culturel irlandais, located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. This inter-professional day looked at the support given to refugee artists and cultural professionals in France, both during and outside their residency.
The ‘Hospitality & Creation’ conference is an opportunity to meet, discuss ideas and share experiences and resources. It gives a voice to those involved in the policy of welcoming refugees and to artists in exile. The Pause and Artists at Risk residency programmes were presented alongside the Nora and Odyssée programmes coordinated by the ACCR and programmes run by the Centres culturels de rencontre. To round off the day, Iranian writer Mahtab Ghorbani, Russian visual artist Daria Burleshina and Burmese interdisciplinary artist ‘Pinky’ Htet Myo Htut AUNG discussed their careers.
The Pause programme /
The Pause programme was launched in January 2017 with the aim of developing a cultural component at the Collège de France in conjunction with the French Ministry of Culture, with operational implementation in November 2021.
The Pause programme is aimed at artists and scientists in exile in emergency situations. The winners are hosted by cultural and scientific institutions and art schools for a period of one year, or two years if the residency has been renewed.
The scheme aims to help artists and scientists identify a host institution before they apply. Applicants are invited to apply three times a year.
In addition to the calls for projects, there are also emergency procedures for individual cases where the person concerned is in immediate danger, particularly in the event of a geopolitical crisis or open conflict.
To find out more, visit this page.
Artists at risk /
Perpetuum Mobile ry (PM), which runs ARTISTS at RISK (AR), is a non-profit organisation at the intersection of human rights and the arts. Since 2013, PM has developed AR into a global network of arts institutions, non-profit organisations, municipalities, public institutions and international organisations to assist, relocate and fund artists who are victims of persecution or oppression, or who are fleeing countries in open conflict or where their rights and freedoms are threatened.
AR is committed to supporting artists, both professionally and psychologically, without categorising them as refugee artists. The residency lasts a minimum of three months, and is paid and dynamic in territorial terms, in order to stimulate the artists and nurture their international professional network. AR supports the artists in their integration process in their new country, particularly in terms of administrative procedures and mobility issues, to give them time to continue working for their country of origin.
To find out more, please visit their website.
Residencies in CCR /
The Irish Cultural Centre (Paris)
The Centre Culturel Irlandais (CCI), recently co-opted as an associate member of the ACCR, is a showcase for Irish arts abroad thanks to a quarterly programme in which all disciplines are represented, but with an emphasis on the visual arts, music and literature. Residencies are not necessarily linked to the programme. The CCI is keen to offer a living space conducive to free creation and networking.
Zamek Zdar is the first choreographic development centre in the Czech Republic, promoting new circus and theatre in movement. The site sees artists' residencies as a tool for defending freedom of expression in the countries of Eastern Europe and as a means of working towards intercultural understanding. Zamek Zdar's aim is to change the way in which the local population embraces and perceives its heritage.
Awarded the Centre Culturel de Rencontre label in 2021, ARIA promotes encounters between professional and amateur artists in dance, theatre and circus arts. These artistic practices maintain an intimate relationship with the environment and aesthetics of the site. Throughout the year, ARIA deploys its hospitality policy, whether for festivals, training courses, EAC initiatives or residencies.
Testimonies from artists in residence /
Mahtab Ghorbani, Daria Burleshina and ‘Pinky’ Htet Myo Htut AUNG are all laureates of the Nora residency programme. As well as looking back on their experience at the Centres Culturels de Rencontre, they agreed that the residency helps them to build a network, multiply their projects and maintain their status as professional artists.
On the subject of the status of exiled artist, while some prefer not to talk about it so as not to be categorised, for some, on the contrary, exile has left such a mark that it cannot be dissociated from either their person or their artistic practice.
To find out more about the artists, take a look at the residency diaries of Mahtab Ghorbani and ‘Pinky’ Htet Myo Htut AUNG, or consult Daria Burleshina's resident file.