Art Residency | Albalad Program

The Open Call

The program offers residencies for artists, curators, writers (critics and art historians) in the historical district of Jeddah “Al Balad,” a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Al Balad has a rich history and is one of the city’s pedestrian neighborhoods. With its studios located in the historical building of Rubat Al Khunji, the residency stands as an opportunity for the residents to learn more about the city’s diverse traditions and culture. At the same time, it encourages them to interact with the local communities and connect with other art professionals from Jeddah, the Kingdom, and beyond.

The program is open to artists, curators, writers (critics and art historians) from Saudi Arabia and worldwide* who are at the beginning or middle of their career in the visual arts field.

Four residencies cycles will be organized in 2022, each one lasting 6 weeks. Candidacies are accepted four times a year through a submission window corresponding to each residency cycle (please see below).
Each residency cycle will include, on average, 6 residents from Saudi Arabia and 3 international residents who will start and finish their experience simultaneously.
These residencies are intended for artists and art professionals wishing to develop a research and creative project over a period of six weeks. They are process-based: their setting and the chance to work alongside peers, other professionals, experts, and the local communities create a dynamic environment for critical, technical, and professional growth within a collaborative exchange model. In addition to studio space, the residency includes the cost of travel to and from Jeddah, accommodation in a shared flat at a limited distance from the working studios, and a stipend to cover living expenses.

Artists may also apply for a production grant generally ranging from 5000 to 10000 Saudi riyals ($1300-2600) to cover art supplies and other costs connected to the realization of their project. Grants’ requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis and may be subject to revision by the organizers.

All candidates must present a project proposal with their candidacy. Projects may be focused on the topic/theme of the residents’ choice as long as they are connected to the local context of the city of Jeddah and/or Al Balad historical district.

Submission windows:
First cycle: 20th December 2021 – 10th January 2022.
Second Cycle: 8th January 2022 – 5th February 2022.
Third Cycle: 25th February 2022 – 26th March 2022.
Fourth Cycle: 15th April 2022 – 14 May 2022.

*Important note: due to travel restrictions to control the spread of COVID-19, only candidates having completed their vaccine process and coming from low-risk countries could be selected. For this reason, candidacies of art professionals traveling from Afghanistan, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini , Malawi, Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Seychelles, Mauritius are not currently accepted (this list is subject to update depending as travel regulations may change at short notice).

Residency Periods

• First Cycle: 03/03/2022 – 14/04/2022 | Registration” 20th Dec 2021 – 10th Jan 2022
• Second Cycle: 12/05/2022 – 23/06/2022 | Registration: 8th Jan 2022 – 5th Feb 2022
• Third Cycle: 21/07/2022 – 01/09/2022 | Registration: 25th Feb 2022 – 26th Mar 2022
• Fourth Cycle: 18/09/2022 – 30/10/2022 | Registration: 15th Apr 2022 – 14 May 2022

Stages

• Candidacy: At this stage, applications for participating in the program are submitted according to the submission window of each cycle.
• Selection: The committee of experts meets for candidacies assessment.
• Announcement of selected residents: At this stage, the names of the selected residents are announced.
• Art Residency Program: Four cycles will be organized in 2022. Each cycle lasts 6 weeks continues at its scheduled location in Al-Balad, the historical area in the city of Jeddah.

Location

Rubat Al khunji
Located in the heart of Historic Jeddah (also known as Al Balad), Rubat Al Khunji is a historical building whose construction dates back to 1813 AD. It was originally used as a guest house for widows and single women under the umbrella of a long-term charitable initiative. The use of the building was discontinued since that time until it underwent a major renovation commissioned by the Ministry of Culture. Recently it started hosting a number of cultural events.