The Changing Landscape of Artist Residencies Clara Che Wei Peh
Artist residencies are programmes that provide artists, curators and researchers the opportunity to live and work beyond their existing loci. Many residencies provide accommodation, a working space and often, a monthly stipend. They aim to facilitate a conducive environment for artists-in-residence to focus on their research and creative process. This has often translated into an invitation for artists to experience a temporary displacement of geographical locations, supporting them to travel abroad and encounter unfamiliar environments, different cultures and forge new connections. Then came 2020 and COVID-19. The pandemic brought with it travel bans, nationwide lockdowns and increasing health risks across the globe, forcing residency programmes to cease, postpone or rapidly adapt to the new conditions brought on by the pandemic. Indonesian artist Elia Nurvista was participating in a six-week residency at Sa Sa Art Projects in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in March 2020, when she found herself stranded in isolation due to the sudden halt of international flights. The pandemic situation in Southeast Asia had escalated rapidly. Originally intending to continue her research in Prague, Czech Republic, immediately after her time in Cambodia, Nurvista’s residency in Europe was postponed indefinitely. Like many artists, Nurvista had planned much of her year around the international residencies she was scheduled to attend. As the global art cycle came to a stop, artists scrambled
184
CHECK-IN
