EMPACT Artistic Residency Announcement
Announcing selected artists of the EMPACT Artistic Residencies Programme!
Following the exciting call for artists to apply to the EMPACT Artistic Residencies Programme, the EMPACT team received an overwhelming response from interested creatives across Europe eager to partake in a residency programme in one of our sort after locations hosted by EMPACT Partners, Nature, Art & Habitat Residency (NAHR), Vorres Museum, National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) “Kr. Sarafov”, and Espacio Rojo.
The international jury has confirmed the names of 14 successful artists that partners are proud to welcome to the EMPACT project by participating in the upcoming Artistic Residencies Programme taking place in Summer – Autumn 2023. The chosen artists will join us for 12 days in one of the various locations.
Five artists will undertake the residency in Taleggio Valley, Italy, hosted by Nature, Art & Habitat Residency (NAHR) between 4 July – 16 July 2023.
The selected artists include:
Ana Pečar from Slovenia
Ana Pečar’s video-based practice revolves around intangible, subtle, yet expressive scenes of nature. Spanning installations, photographs and ambient interventions, Pečar works to offer contemplative spaces, buffered from the outer fast pace world.
Andria Zachariou from Cyprus
Andria Zachariou is a recent graduate from the Fine and Applied Arts program at Cyprus University of Technology (CUT). She presented her work in Cyprus through group exhibitions. In 2022, she has also undertaken an Erasmus exchange in Facultad de Bellas Artes, Granada, Spain. To learn more about Miss Zachariou and her artistic work, follow the link to her social media profile:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sugartworks?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Mirian Kolev from Bulgaria
Mirian Kolev is а musician, composer and multidisciplinary artist, who lives in the Mountain of Bulgaria and works in experimental, electroacoustic, ambient, improvisational music sphere and sound art. He is also doing collaborative shows and projects with other musicians, visual artists, dancers, performers and composing music for art installations, videos and dance performances. See more about Mirian and his artistic efforts at the shared link:
Website: https://miriankolev.com/
Kaja Rakušček from Slovenia
Kaja Rakušček graduated from the University of Ljubljana with a degree in English Language and Literature. She is active in the fields of filmmaking, volunteering and poetry.
Lea (Evangelia) Petrou from Greece
Lea Petrou studied at Chelsea College, received a BA in Fine Art from Central St. Martins College, and a Masters in Sculpture from Royal College of Art, in London. Currently she is a PhD student at Athens School of Fine Art.
Website: www.leapetrou.info
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lea.petrou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lea.petrou/
Following this, the residency will see three other artists take residency in Athens, Greece, hosted by Vorres Museum between 31 July – 11 August 2023.
The selected artists include:
Alva Moca from Spain
Alva Moca graduated from University of Segovia with a Bachelors in Advertising. Later he studied Digital Illustration, Graphic Design, Film Post-production, Editing and Animation in Madrid. He has also studied engraving, drawing and silkscreen printing in Chile. His graphic work is a mixture of cyanotype, collage, illustration, mural, painting and recycling, all of this with a great influence of graphic design, travelling through galleries and festivals in Spain, Chile, Italy, Ecuador, Mexico, USA, England, Peru, France, Portugal, Iceland, etc.
Venelin Shurelov from Bulgaria
Venelin Shurelov is a cross media artist. His projects are multifaceted and include drawings, interactive installation and performances, digital technologies, video and art theory. His works can be found at the following links:
Website: http://www.subhumantheatre.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venelin.shurelov
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venelinshurelov/
Veredas Lopez from Spain
Veredas Lopez is a Multi-Media artist. She works in the fields of drawing, sculpture, installation and video. Veredas is interested experimenting with materials and up-cycling. She whisks situations, persons and places from different trips with imagined dreamlike scenarios. To see more about Veredas and her works, browse the links below:
Website: https://www.veredaslopez.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veredas_lopez/
The summer programme will continue in Sozopol, Bulgaria, hosted by National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) “Kr. Sarafov ”: between 26 August – 6 September 2023.
The following three artists will be in Bulgaria for the 12 days:
Andrea Davanzati from Italy
Andrea Davanzati developed his earliest studies with Bruno Munari, Carlo Mo, Kengiro Azuma and Giancarlo Marchese. His research focuses more on stainless steel sculpture and his studies are directed toward the analysis of natural structures, often in motion, applied in small sculptures as well as in large public structures. In addition to his activity as a sculptor and architect, he continues his profession as a university lecturer. His studies on insect forms have produced a unique series of micro sculptures in silver called «larvae.»
Dimitris Savva from Cyprus
Dimitris Savva is a composer and sound artist with an expertise in electroacoustic, electronic, soundscape and multimedia music composition and sound design. Experienced educator with an expertise in composition, sound art, music technology, soundscape theory, acoustic ecology and electroacoustic music history and composition. More about Dimitris can be found on his website.
Website: www.dimitris-savva.com
Giulia Pellegrini from Italy
Giulia Pellegrini is an Italian artist, and as an artist she decided to turn her attention to environmental issues to generate a new sensitivity towards our planet. She focused her research on the creation of works that allow the public to learn about the problem, not only from a conceptual point of view but also through their bodies and their direct participation in the artworks. Take a look at Giulia’s website and follow her Instagram to find out more about her artistic journey:
Website: https://www.giuliapellegrini.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giuliapellegrini.artist
As time moves along from summer to autumn, the residency will commence at Espacio Rojo for three artists that will be joining the EMPACT Residencies Programme in Spain: between 16 September – 29 September 2023.
The selected artists include:
Margherita Isola from Italy
She is an artist, performer, dancer of Mediterranean origin, Margherita Isola lives and works on an itinerant basis. Currently she finds herself in Barcelona. In her practice she mixes different media- dance, textile art, performance, collage, installation, community works- and addresses issues related to feminism, migration, colonialism, capitalisation of Gaia, in order to rethink new forms of interconnection which put life at the core of our society.
Website: www.margheritaisola.com
Konstantinos Kotsis from Greece
Konstantinos Kotsis holds a Bachelors and a Masters degree from the School of Fines Arts of the University of Ioannina, Greece. He has taken part in the SNF Artist Fellowship Program, ARTWORKS. He develops his research and his special interest in construction employing several mediums and introducing participatory practices. Konstantinos works have been exhibited in several group exhibitions in Greece and abroad. Connect and explore the works of Konstantinos at the links below.
Tumblr: https://konstantinoskotsis.tumblr.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kws_/
Rebecca Sforzani from Italy
Rebecca Sforzani is a visual artist interested in combining art with social issues. She investigates the topics of conflict, gender issues and environmental sustainability creating participatory projects and site-specific installations. In her explorations she collects memories and stories from places and people. Rebecca shares more about her artistic journey via her website and Instagram, links provided below:
Website: https://rebeccasforzani.wixsite.com/visualart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebecca.sforzani/
The EMPACT Partners anticipate the amazing works that these artists will produce relating to the themes of the project EMPACT – Empathy and Sustainability: The Art of Thinking Like a Mountain and explore how these broad topics can be interconnected. They will do so by relating to particularities of the local character and context of each residency and host institution. Artists will produce work in various media and artistic fields, depending on the mandate of each inviting institution (e.g., visual arts, performing arts, creative writing, philosophy).
New works will be presented to the public at the end of each residency and later a selection of the artworks will be jointly presented in an exhibition at Vorres Museum in Athens.
To learn more about what the artists plan to do in the context of the Artistic Residencies Programme and EMPACT News by following us on social media:
