AFIELD was established in 2014 as an international network of cultural changemakers. Anchored in the fundamental belief that artists are essential to the fabric of society, AFIELD grants three annual fellowships of 10,000 USD to artists and cultural practitioners who have initiated social projects, catalyzing change and empowering their communities.
The three 2023 fellows are:
Louis Oke-Agbo (Benin), Vie et Solidarité
Louis Oke-Agbo is a visual artist and photographer. He initiated Vie et Solidarité (Life and Solidarity) Art Therapy Center, an NGO that facilitates the social rehabilitation and professional integration of mentally, physically and visually impaired people, in Porto-Novo, Benin. Established in 2015, the initiative runs workshops for artistic expression in dance, music, photography, painting, pottery, and literacy-building. It aims to also raise awareness among medical, social, and cultural communities about art therapy as a logical extension of medical treatment.
Elisa Silva (Venezuela), La Casa de Todos
Elisa Silva is an architect. She created La Casa de Todos (Everyone’s House), a community-led cultural space in the barrio La Palomera, in Caracas, Venezuela. Through workshops and courses in the art, theatre, cooking, dance and more, the initiative aims to create a permanent space for diverse audiences, bridging the gap between barrio and non-barrio residents. It strives to be an inclusive and participatory model for city development favouring integration across socioeconomic and geographic borders.
Necati Sönmez (Turkey), Mavi Kuş Dayanışma
Necati Sönmez is a critic, journalist and documentary filmmaker. He imagined Mavi Kuş Dayanışma (Blue Bird Solidarity) that organises free workshops with artists, activists and educators to create safe spaces and provide psychosocial support for children, in Hatay, Turkey. Launched in February 2023, just after the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, the initiative provides long-term care and creative support to thousands of children deprived of education and social services.
These “AFIELD Fellows” have been selected from 24 nominations through a collective process by the AFIELD network (approx. 50 members). In addition, two shortlisted candidates are also invited to join the network as “AFIELD Peers” and will take part in all future events, and gatherings. This year’s peers are Joana Hadjithomas (Lebanon) and Sébastien Thiéry (France).
AFIELD Fellows come from different backgrounds: visual and performing arts, literature, cinema, design, architecture, fashion, or gastronomy. While being recognized for their practice, they have also decided to start a social project, delivering impact in a long-term and tangible way.
AFIELD also provides other resources in the form of discussions, mutual aid, incubation and community building, to help fellows deepen and strengthen their work in their particular contexts.
Through its active network, AFIELD facilitates mutual support and collaboration across the globe. In the long run, it enables discourse, theory and the development of infrastructures for socially-engaged practice, through an expanding set of examples of practice “in action”.
AFIELD amplifies creative voices and solutions, with the aim to bring arts and culture to the foreground of social experimentation.
