Organizer Information
This open call is presented through the AIR Frankfurt / AIR Offenbach residency programmes, initiatives dedicated to fostering international exchange in Visual Arts and supporting emerging contemporary art practices. The programmes are based in Frankfurt and Offenbach, Germany, and are developed by basis e.V., a cultural organisation engaged in interdisciplinary artistic production, residency programming, and experimental cultural exchange.
The 2026 edition is delivered in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Malaysia and the independent cultural platform Think & Tink in Kuching, Malaysia. Think & Tink is a community-oriented experimental space located in the Ang Cheng Ho district, embedded within a dense local ecosystem of kopitiams, hardware shops, and the Petanak Market. The space functions as a site for artistic research, material experimentation, and socially engaged practice rooted in its immediate urban and cultural environment.
Together, these partners aim to create a cross-cultural residency framework that connects European and Southeast Asian contexts through long-term artistic dialogue, situated research, and community-based engagement.
Title & Description
AIR Frankfurt and AIR Offenbach Kuching Residency Program – Think & Tink (Kuching, Malaysia) 2026
This three-month Residency programme invites visual artists to develop site-responsive research and production projects in Kuching, Malaysia, between September and November 2026. The residency is designed for practitioners working in Contemporary Art with a strong emphasis on ecological systems, material research, and community-oriented methodologies.
The programme encourages artists to engage directly with the social, spatial, and infrastructural realities of the host environment. Residents are expected to interact with local communities and explore forms of knowledge exchange rooted in everyday life, including informal economies, culinary traditions, industrial materials, and local ecologies.
The residency prioritises artistic approaches that investigate how knowledge is produced, shared, and transformed within specific cultural and environmental contexts. Projects may include field-based research, participatory processes, documentation strategies, and experimental forms of artistic production.
The residency culminates in a practice-based engagement process rather than a fixed exhibition format, encouraging dialogue between the artist and local communities as an integral part of the work.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Contemporary Art
- Research-based Practice
- Installation
- Material / Industrial Research
- Community-based Art
- Interdisciplinary Arts
Eligibility
- Open exclusively to visual artists
- Applicants must live or work in Frankfurt or Offenbach (Germany)
- Proof of residence or studio address is required
- Applicants should hold a degree from an art school or equivalent professional qualification
- A strong command of English is required
- Suitable for mid-career and emerging professional artists with a strong portfolio
- International exchange eligibility applies through the residency structure, but geographic restriction applies at the application stage
Program Benefits & Awards
- Monthly stipend of €1,000
- Travel allowance
- Accommodation in a residential studio in Kuching, Malaysia
- Access to local community networks and institutional partners
- Integration into an international Artist Residency exchange network
- Opportunity to conduct embedded field research in a unique urban-cultural environment
- Institutional support through AIR Frankfurt / AIR Offenbach and Think & Tink
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Statement of artistic practice (max. 1,500 characters)
- Project proposal and residency motivation (max. 3,000 characters)
- Portfolio or catalogue (max. 16 pages, reduced file size required)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Complete application via online submission form
Incomplete applications or submissions outside the designated format will not be considered.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 3 May 2026
- Residency Period: 1 September – 30 November 2026
Location
- Residency Location: Kuching, Malaysia
- Applicant Base Requirement: Frankfurt / Offenbach, Germany
Additional Details
The residency emphasises site-specific engagement and encourages artists to respond to the everyday infrastructures of Kuching, including its informal economies, ecological systems, and social environments. Artists are expected to engage in reciprocal exchange with local communities through research-led or participatory approaches.
The selection process involves two stages: an initial review by a Frankfurt-based jury followed by final selection by an independent jury in the host country. The key selection criteria include artistic quality, relevance to the residency framework, and the degree to which the project benefits from the three-month immersive context.
The programme is particularly suited to artists interested in material experimentation, community engagement, and cross-cultural research methodologies within Residency formats.