Selection for 2022 Art Residencies in Switzerland and Russia

We are pleased to announce the finalists of the open call for the art residencies in Switzerland and Russia in 2022.

This year, we received over 100 applications from Russian artists and art practitioners. Our greetings to the sound artist Stas Sharifullin (aka HMOT), the choreographer Nurbek Batulla, the artist Valeria Kuznetsova (aka Matiush First) and the curator Irina Aksenova.

Following the consideration of applications, curators Natalia Fuchs and Nika Parkhomovskaya will go on research trips.

Russian residencies are looking forward to welcoming Swiss authors and translators Boris Siemaszko and Marina Skalova as well as the composer Michael Wertmüller.

As a reminder, Pro Helvetia Moscow supports art residencies for Russian artists in Switzerland and Swiss artists in Russia. Such residencies grant artists and curators an opportunity for professional development, contribute to their work over current and new projects, and expand their professional networks for future collaborations.

We plan to announce the next open call in the end of 2021. Make sure you don’t miss it!

Stas Sharifullin (also knows as HMOT) is a musician and a researcher of sound from Moscow. He is a winner of Sergey Kuryokhin Award and co-leader of the Klammlklang label; he has a PhD in Philology and curates “Sound Art and Sound Studies” Master’s track at the Higher School of Economics.

In Switzerland, Stas will continue his research in the area of the sound epistemology, spatial music and ambisonics. Within his trip he will actively interact with his Swiss colleagues in the field of experimental music and sound art, as well as collaborate with his fellow thinkers, exploring the new methods of the studio sound work. Stas explores new techniques of sound recording (binaural microphones, hydrophones and various field sound recording devices), he plans to use them while recording biophonic and geophonic sounds of the Swiss natural and urban landscapes.

Photo (c) Karina Azizova

Nurbek Batulla, a choreographer and dancer from Kazan, a performer and the laureate of the “Golden Mask” award in the nomination “Contemporary Dance. The Best Male Role”, the contest finalist of the Context festival. In his artwork, Nurbek makes special accent on the theme of borders.

In Switzerland, he will work over the performance “24-hour improvisation,” in which he plans to explore the borders between Tatar and Swiss cultures, artist and audience, dance and theatre. Improvisation will be created in collaboration with the local dancers and musicians. While in the residency, Nurbek plans to share his best practices in the field of psychophysiology of the art process with his Swiss colleagues.

Photo (c) Nurbek Batulla

Irina Aksenova, a curator from St. Petersburg and co-founder of the independent space FFTN. She combines museum projects and independent practices in Russia and abroad. Irina is the nominee for the Sergey Kuryokhin Award for her exhibition “Melioration”. She is also a co-curator of the Special Project of the V Moscow International Biennale of Young Art.

Within her residency Irina will introduce her Swiss colleagues to the project NotLand, a virtual exhibition space created on the edge of the contemporary art and game design and supported by Pro Helvetia within FarForwART open call. Irina plans to establish professional network and identify new partners for the further project development and future collaborations.

Photo (c) Irina Aksenova

Valeria Kuznetsova (also known as Matiush First), is an artist from Yekaterinburg, currently working in St. Petersburg. In her artwork, she explores practices and nature of the painting, and graphic traces left by human in the urban and digital space. She combines scientific, historic and performative approaches.

In Switzerland, Valeria will continue to immerse into the topic of the “collective painting” on the example of Basel city landscape. She also plans to research the culture of the scientific illustration based on the materials from the catalogues of the Basel museums and get familiar with the Swiss scene of the digital art. According to the artist idea, she plans to wrap up her residency with an installation featuring graphics, spatial objects and interactive videos.

Photo (с) Matiush First

Boris Siemaszko, Swiss researcher, literary editor and translator, descendant of the Russian and Polish immigrants. Together with the Geneva publishing house La Baconnière, he works on the Sergey Dovlatov complete edition. In Russia, Boris will work on the archives related to the life and work of Dovlatov and explore young literary scene of Russia for the future collaborations.

Photo (c) Boris Siemaszko

Marina Skalova is a poet, translator, and playwright. She lives and works in Geneva. Marina has already participated in our art-residency programme and visited Moscow in 2019 to collect materials for her trilogy “Russia Has an Unwomanly Face”. In 2022, the author will continue her work over the project, which explores the place of women in Soviet and post-Soviet society based on the archives and documentary evidences.

Photo (c) looren.ch

Michael Wertmüller, a composer and percussionist, he works in the field of new music and jazz. The musician has an experience of artistic collaboration with his Russian colleagues. The residency is an opportunity for Michael to continue exploring Russian cultural context. He will work over the creation of the new composition for the piano, organ and orchestra, closely related to the Russian artistic legacy. Besides that, the musician also plans to collaborate with the Russian ensembles performing new music and explore Russian jazz scene.

Photo (c) Kim Culetto

Natalia Fuchs is an art expert and researcher in the field of new media; over the past 10 years, she has successfully curated experimental art initiatives related to the innovative and digital practices on the edge of art, science and technologies. Natalia will make a trip to Switzerland to explore the collections of museums and research institutions archives in the framework of her media-archeological art project “Techno-Utopian Laboratory”. The principal focus of Natalia’s interest lies on the artistic agenda of innovation and understanding their scientific, technical and ethical aspects.

Photo (c) Anisia Kuzmina

Nika Parkhomovskaya, is a theatre critic, producer and curator, organizer of the theatre festivals, performances and masterclasses, one of the lead experts in Russia in the field of the social and inclusive theatre. In Switzerland, Nika plans to research social aspect of the Swiss theatre scene and local performative practices. She will pay special attention to the development of the Swiss applied drama, theatre pedagogic and contemporary art that change society.