30 Sep 2011

Fellowship Residency programme for Artists at Cornaro Institute, Cyprus

With the development of the Cyprus College of Art into the Cornaro Institute as a space dedicated to providing studio room for practising visual artists from around the world, we are pleased to announce the launch of the first ever Cornaro Institute Fellowship Programme. Over the years this will develop into one of the main programmes of the Cornaro Institute, but we are looking for pioneers to be the first to walk this path.

The Cornaro Institute Fellowship Programme is a six month residential programme aimed at artists who have completed at least a BA degree in Fine Art (or equivalent experience) who now need time and space in which to develop their artistic ideas and understanding of their own work.

Based at the Cornaro Institute in the village of Lempa, on the west coast Cyprus, the Cornaro Institute offers simple studio space and basic living accommodation to artists for a period of six months from 15 January to 15 July 2012. The environment is low tech, but wireless internet access is available, a small art library and art materials shop.

As part of the programme you will develop your own work towards an individual exhibition to be held in the Cornaro Institute's main site in the city of Larnaca near the end of your stay. The successful completion of this will lead to you becoming a Fellow of the Cornaro Institute, an organisation that includes major figures in art and culture amongst its members, such as Clive Head, Geoff Rigden, Francesco da Mosto and Jools Holland. The exhibition will be open to the public and will become part of the exhibition programme for 2012 at our Larnaca site.

During your stay in Lempa an optional weekly group crit will be held, including the other participants in the programme, and visiting artists, and you will have the opportunity to stage other events, such as exhibitions if you wish. The main purpose of the Fellowship Programme, however, is for you to find and/or develop your own working practice and exhibit the results of this investigation. It is our hope that being in Cyprus will have a positive impact upon your work too, although how this manifests itself is open.

The living accommodation available is very simple, youth hostel style, with a shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, but you will have a single room. All accommodation is self catering and communal areas cleaned on a rota system by those using it.

To apply please complete the application form on our website. After this you will be asked to submit images of your previous work or appropriate links to websites.

This programme is offered in association with the Cyprus College of Art, a radical art institution founded in 1969 by the frequently controversial artist Stass Paraskos. Stass is the only artist born in Cyprus to have work in the Tate Gallery in London, and he was prosecuted in 1966 by the British police in England for an exhibition of allegedly obscene paintings. If you are really committed to art his advice will be a great benefit to you and he will attend many of the group crits organised as part of the programme.

Please note that the Fellowship Programme is not a studentship, and participants are not classed as students. You will be a visiting artist on the Fellowship Programme.

The cost is 2000 euro, which includes accommodation (excluding utility bills) and studio space for the full six months. Bursaries are available of up to 500 euro for this programme. No other funding is available from the Cornaro Institute or Cyprus College of Art for this programme.