OPEN CALL FOR AN ARTIST STUDIO RESIDENCY AT DE APPEL (UNDER A CONSTRAINT BY MICHAEL PORTNOY)

Dates: 18 April — 15 June, 2014.

In the context of the exhibition ‘Father, Can’t You See I’m Burning?’ (27 April - 15 June, 2014), curated by the participants of de Appel Curatorial Programme, Michael Portnoy is developing a work titled “The Roaster”. The piece consists in him installing another artist in the space of the exhibition for the purpose of relentlessly “roasting” and “improving” all the other works in the show.

We are looking for a highly inventive artist with solid skills in illustration and a fearless sense of humor. The artist will be present during opening hours of the institution, working away in a specially arranged studio space like a crackpot conceptual engineer, or closet comedian, making drawings, sculptures, etc. which skewer and transmute the forms and ideas of the other artworks in the show. Within this frame, the artist will be left to his or her own devices, but will proceed based on periodic prompts from and discussions with Michael Portnoy, pushing the improvements in certain directions. In parts a long-form speculative exercise, themed residency, mentored studio space, and futurological playroom, by the end of the 8 weeks, The Roaster will have generated scores of wild ideas, riffs and projects, high on the fumes of the exhibition he/she has burned.

In this way The Roaster will also become a member of The Improvement League. Assembled and directed by Michael Portnoy, The Improvement League is a think tank of shifting members (formed in 2010) established to “improve” existing breeds of art making by pruning, grafting and hybridizing certain lines of thought, in a kind of conceptual horticulture. More futurology than critique, the League uses the seeds within contemporary forms and approaches as tools for invention. http://www.strangergames.com/The_Improvement_League.html

We offer:

• accommodation at the Lloyd Hotel & Cultural Embassy in Amsterdam, for the duration of the exhibition
• opportunity to work with six curators from all over the world
• an artist’s profile on de Appel’s webpage
• constant exposure of artist’s work at de Appel arts centre throughout the exhibition
• personal assistance in Amsterdam
• a small compensation of living expenses

All applicants please send us a resume, a few samples of your work, and some quick sketches showing 3 different ways to improve the following artwork:

In the middle of a dimly lit room is a cooking pot with squid ink inside. A small light on a stand is pointed at the pot which is being heated by a couple of candles. The ink is slowly evaporating.
(And by improve, we don’t mean one-step operations like making the squid ink blue or heating the pot on an electric stove top, but throw the seeds of this idea through the wringer a few times, skip a few steps, toss out everything that doesn’t make you laugh, combine it with forms and ideas that excite you. Give us not just a new thing, but a new breed of thing.)

Please, send questions and the application to the following email:[email protected].
Deadline for sending applications: March 23, 2014.

About Michael Portnoy:
With a background in dance and experimental comedy, Michael Portnoy switched camps to the field of visual arts around 2006. His performance-based practice is realized in a variety of media, from sculpture, participatory installation and curation, to painting, writing, theater and video. He has presented internationally in such venues as: Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2013); KW Institute for Contemp. Art, Berlin (2013); dOCUMENTA 13, Kassel (2012); Objectif Exhibitions, Antwerp (2011); Wilfried Lentz, Rotterdam (2011); Taipei Biennial (2010); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2010); de Appel arts centre, Amsterdam (2010); CAC, Vilnius (2010); Performa 07, 09, and 11, New York; Kadist Foundation, Paris (2009); Kunstverein, Amsterdam (2009); SculptureCenter, New York (2008); Ibid Projects, London (2008); Kunsthalle Basel (2008); Second Moscow Biennial (2007); and Art Unlimited Basel (2007). His first book, Script Opposition in Late-Model Carrot Jokes, was published in 2011, and he has taught and lectured at The Banff Centre, Bard College, Malmö Art Academy and Goldsmiths. http://www.strangergames.com.

About the exhibition:
The exhibition ‘Father, Can’t You See I’m Burning?’ presents a range of artworks and experiences curated by the six participants of de Appel’s Curatorial Programme: Renata Cervetto (1985, Argentina), Kris Dittel (1983, Slovakia), Lara Khaldi (1982, Palestine), Emma Panza (1985, Italy), Aneta Rostkowska (1979, Poland) and Kate Strain (1983, Ireland). More information: http://deappel.nl/visit/programme/activity/?id=891

About the Curatorial Programme:
Each year de Appel arts centre takes six young curators from all corners of the world under its wings for an intensive professional development programme. Over a period of ten months they are given the opportunity to hone their professional skills in an intensive array of workshops, excursions, practice-related assignments and encounters with artists and art professionals. The programme culminates in a final project curated by the participants.

About de Appel:
De Appel arts centre is an international institution for contemporary art, fulfilling a key role in the arts in Amsterdam and The Netherlands. De Appel arts centre is also an eye-catcher at the international level and serves as a standard for determining relevant trends in contemporary art. De Appel arts centre shows contemporary art in all its forms.

With special thanks to: Lloyd Hotel & Cultural Embassy