The Residency

KAMEN Artist Residency is a residency program for artistic research and art production, located in the mountain valley by Bileća lake in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We provide space for artists to live and work in proximity, and engage in collaborative or solo projects.

KAMEN aims to be a place for learning from nature, history, daily practice and each other. We are interested in the exchange between people, ideas, methodologies and disciplines, in connection with the region in which we are located. As well, the residency is suitable as a retreat, offering the space and time for focus on creative endeavors, experimentation, studio work, research, writing etc. 

We welcome artists and art-related researchers working across a wide range of disciplines, including visual art, moving image, music, performative practices, writing and/or design etc. We especially enjoy experimental practices and interdisciplinary projects. As well, work concerning environmental and ecological issues find a particularly fruitful ground at KAMEN. So does engagement with socio-political and historical topics, and work that activates studies of mythology, anthropology, religion, etc. That said, we value artistic autonomy and do not enforce any theme.

Participants of all ages and backgrounds are welcome, at any stage of their career. Within the groups of residents hosted simultaneously, we aim to combine intergenerational and international positions, and include a variety of disciplines.

Duration of residency period

KAMEN’s season extends from the 1st of May to the 31st of October. Residency periods have a duration of 7 weeks.

Residents can apply to the time blocks of

  • May 1 – June 19 
  • July 1 – August 19 
  • September 1 – October 20 

If these time blocks do not suit you, please let us know in your application. We are willing to accommodate different schedules, if possible.

 

Accommodation information 

The residency building is newly built, surrounded by large private grounds that reach out to the lake. We provide living and working spaces for four artists at a time, to each have access to private rooms and bathroom facilities, private and shared working spaces, and shared living areas: kitchen, living room and outdoor terraces. Within the groups of residents hosted simultaneously, we aim to combine inter-generational and international positions, and include a variety of artistic disciplines. 

 

Studio information 

Studios are suitable for various disciplines, from writing to video-editing, sculpture and so on. 

  • 2 private large studios (~30 m2 each)
  • Communal working space (~60 m2)
  • Various half-open outdoor studio spaces

 

Art supplies and studio equipment

All studios are furnished. Basic studio tools and materials are provided, as well as a selection of equipment for artists working with video. 

There are several art supply, hardware and material stores in the vicinity. However, if specialized or non-standard art materials are needed, residents are advised to bring them. 

If appropriate, we encourage residents to work with local materials  such as stone, wood, natural and interesting ‘waste’ materials to be gleaned in the surrounding. 

Residency fee

KAMEN works with a residency fee, which varies depending on the annual external funding which we are able to secure. Each year in December when we announce our Open Call, the fee of that year will be posted.

We encourage and support residents in applying for external (travel) grants or visa applications. For this, we provide an official letter of invitation.

 

Provided by KAMEN

  • Pick-up from the airport in Dubrovnik 
  • Project assistance, translation, communication, and production support
  • Strategic introductions to local partners, practitioners and contacts
  • Facilitation of a public presentation 
  • Excursions to places of interests
  • All housing needs and utilities
  • Basic studio and multi-media supplies

All produce from our vegetable and fruit garden is for common use. We like to practice collective cooking and take dietary restrictions or wishes into consideration. Our style of living is communal yet we allow for plenty of privacy. We share a moderate amount of household and gardening responsibilities among the group.

 

Outcome

KAMEN is not an outcome-oriented residency and we don’t oblige residents to any determined output. We do however extend an open invitation to residents to hold a presentation, as an opportunity to share their work with an audience. This can be in whatever format, scale and circumstance is preferable to the resident. KAMEN can facilitate exhibitions, presentations, screenings, workshops etc. to be held at a number of institutional, alternative or public spaces in collaborations with our partners. Read more about our partners here: Partners.

We also enjoy it when residents print their work(-in-progress) in the form of for instance an art book, scrap-book, field/research notes, pamphlet, zine, etc. with one of the several printers in the area. From the contributions of our past residents, we have been developing a wonderful KAMEN archive/library.