OPEN Digital Residency Programme

Blitz Valletta is an independent, not-for-profit, contemporary art space that has supported original and radical arts practice in all its forms since 2013, through an international programme of residencies, exhibitions, and public engagement activities. Blitz Valletta is pleased to launch an open call for three digital artistic residences that will take place in 2022 and expand OPEN, an online platform founded in 2020, aimed at further developing Blitz Valletta’s activities in the virtual space and exploring the most recent trends and researches in the digital landscape. The international open call is exclusive to recent graduates—from 2017 onwards—with no age limit and for this first edition, one residency will be awarded to a Maltese artist to support our local artistic community.

The new OPEN Digital Residency Programme will expand Blitz’s engagement in contemporary art, both locally and internationally, by means of cross-fertilization between artists and professionals within the digital landscape—from virtual reality, to gaming and blockchain technology—which have significantly developed in Malta in the past decade. With a specific interest in art circulation beyond physical spaces, our digital programme turns Blitz Valletta into a post studies e-training ground and experimental production space. Each selected artist will participate in a tailored, international mentorship programme and awarded a 2,000 EUR grant to develop a new digital artwork in collaboration with Blitz’s curatorial team. The research and production phase will last one month, followed by an online exhibition lasting two months. 

In eight years of activities, Blitz has organized several exhibitions, plus conferences, workshops, commissions and talks, including a three-year residency project (2015-2018) which received mentions by ArtBasel Crowdfunding initiative and Tate Art Exchange Programme. Since 2019, Blitz has kicked off a new curated programme which reflects the institution’s commitment to support Malta-based artists abroad, while engaging with international artists at home. Blitz’s exhibition programme has presented, for the first time in Malta, the work of international artists such as Cory Arcangel, John Coplans, Sara Cwynar, Jesse Darling, Eva Kotátková, Simon Fujiwara, Adrian Paci, Rob Pruitt, Amalia Ulman and Tobias Zielony, alongside Maltese artists including Kane Cali, Charlie Cauchi and Pierre Portelli. Their work is a portal to rethinking the boundaries of art making all while exploring the big questions of contemporary existence.

In response to a recently altered reality, Blitz decided to operate in three spaces equally relevant to its community: online through OPEN, in the physical galleries and in the city of Valletta. OPEN embraces the possibilities presented by the elimination of physical distance and geographical borders of online platforms. Through this boundless, virtual space, Blitz explores art’s capacity to redefine collective imagination locally and internationally and to connect Malta’s IT landscape to an international art practice. Through this new programme, we also keep expanding Blitz’s dialogue with younger audiences and future generations.

Calendar
November 1–30, 2021: Blitz is accepting applications 
December 1–15, 2021: Selection process
January 2022: Announcement of selected residents
February 2022: 1st residency research and production 
March–April 2022: 1st residency exhibition
June 2022: 2nd residency research and production 
July–August 2022: 2nd residency exhibition
October 2022: 3rd residency research and production 
November–December 2022: 3rd residency exhibition
Applicants will be informed in case of variations in the calendar.

Jury
The jury includes Blitz director and artist Alexandra Pace, Blitz curator Sara Dolfi Agostini, artist Oliver Laric and art critic, writer and digital art thinker Valentina Tanni. 

Guidelines
For more information and to apply please follow the instructions here. 

The OPEN Digital Residency Programme is supported by Arts Council Malta and Melita Foundation.

Contact
contact@blitzvalletta.com