Residency programme Vila 31 – Art Explora, 2026 Sessions
Call for Applications Presentation
This residency program is open to artists and artist collectives, researchers, and curators of all nationalities, without age restrictions, who can demonstrate a minimum of five years of professional activity and have exhibited their works and research internationally.
Whether your application concerns the first residency session (January-March 2026), the second session (May-July 2026), or the third session (September-November 2026), you must submit your application to this current call.
Eligible artistic disciplines include: visual arts, performance arts, digital arts, art criticism, and curatorial practices.
Eligible research fields include: humanities, social sciences, sciences, technological innovation, and ecology.
Find the presentation of the call for applications and the residency programme here in English and here in Albanian
Application Process
To start your application:
- Read the information below.
- Click on ”start application” at the bottom of this page.
To complete an ongoing application:
- Click on the name of your application in the ”My Applications” section below.
- Once submitted for evaluation, the application cannot be modified.
Residency Programmes
Two residency programmes are offered:
- SOLO Programme: Open to artists only
- COLLECTIVE Programme: Open to collectives or duos of artists, researchers, and curators
For both programmes : three sessions of 3-months residencies.
• January – March 2026
• May – July 2026
• September – November 2026
If you are interested in the COLLECTIVE programme, only one application should be submitted by one of the collective members.
If you are interested in applying to multiple programmes, you must submit a separate application for each programme.
Each resident benefits from:
o A 3 months residency in Vila 31, in Tirana
o A studio-apartment (only one double bed), fully equipped and furnished
o A grant of 800 euros per month
o A production grant of up to 1,500 euros
o A round trip to the residence
FOR THE COLLECTIVES : Each collective share 1 production and 1 living grant. 1 studio-apartment is made available per collective : the studio can host one resident or a couple, but if two members of the collective wish to share the bed, this is possible. Otherwise, the workspace may be shared with the other members of the collective. The journey to the residence will be paid for each member of the collective.
The residency programmes are designed to support a project in its entirety or just one stage of it: no output is required at the end of the residency.
Selection
About thirty residents are selected each year. Besides evaluating the candidate’s professional background, committee members pay special attention to the quality of the project, its relevance to the residency themes, and the importance of its location in Albania for its development.
The selection committee is composed of international figures from the art and research worlds:
•Pierre Bal-Blanc (France): Independent curator and essayist
•Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath (Lebanon / Germany): Curators and Co-Directors of
Hamburger Bahnhof: National Gallery of Contemporary Art, Berlin
•Adela Demetja (Albania) : Curator, author and Director of the Tirana Art Lab – Center for
Contemporary Art, Albania
•Katerina Gregos (Greece): Curator, lecturer, educator. Director of ΕΜΣΤ | The National
Museumof Contemporary Art, Athens
•Alicia Knock (France): Curator in the Contemporary Creation and Prospective Department of
the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris
•Hans Ulrich Obrist (United Kindgom & Switzerland): Art historian, contemporary art critic,
curator and Artistic Director of the Serpentine Galleries, London
Important Dates:
- Application deadline: May 30, 2025, 11:59 pm (GMT +02:00) Europe/Paris
• Announcement of laureates: September 2025
If you have questions about the application process, please contact: residencies-tirana@artexplora.org
Please ensure that the personal information provided is correct, including your contact details, as they will be used to reach you if you are among the laureates.
Find all the information to apply and start your application on Art Explora application platform:
https://artexplora.plateformecandidature.com
Website link: https://www.artexplora.org/en
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