Organizer Information:

Cadzand Air is a curated residency program led by Francesca Manfredini (Cultural Project Manager) and Ula Deru (Curator & Doctoral Researcher). The program explores art as a tool for social transformation, memory, and resistance.

Title & Description:

Applications are open for the 2026 Cadzand Artist Residency.

This two-week, research-based residency brings together five emerging artists for an intensive period of collective research, making, and exchange. Hosted in a beautifully designed farmhouse inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, the residency functions as a laboratory for testing ideas. It culminates in a public Parcours d’Artistes across unusual locations (schools, churches, barns) in Cadzand and Retranchement. This final exhibition acts as a coastal extension of the Knokke art weekend in neighboring Belgium, offering direct contact with contemporary art collectors and audiences.

Category:

Interdisciplinary & Research.

(Open to visual arts, moving image, sound, performance, installation, writing, and interdisciplinary practices).

Eligibility:

  • Who: Emerging artists from all disciplines.
  • Thematic Focus: Priority is given to artists who critically engage with themes of memory, witnessing, conflict, repair, identity, or geopolitical ambiguity.
  • Background: Strong priority is given to artists with a personal, familial, or inherited background related to war or post-war contexts (including migration, displacement, and intergenerational memory).
  • Pace: Artists must be able to develop a process-based or experimental project within a very short, intensive timeframe (10 days of making + 3 days of exhibition).

Program Benefits & Awards:

(Note: The residency is finalizing its fundraising phase, with the aim to provide the following):

  • Financial Support: Travel and accommodation are covered.
  • Production & Living: A production budget for new work (TBC with each artist), plus all food and daily needs covered.
  • Workspace & Exhibition: Dedicated individual exhibition spaces for the final public weekend. Artists will also receive transport fee coverage to bring a small selection of existing works to contextualize their practice.
  • Mentorship & Networking: Curatorial guidance, workshops, and collective discussions with artists, collectors, and gallerists.
  • Press Visibility: The residency and final exhibition will be featured in the June 2026 edition of the Belgian art & design magazine, Sabato.

Application Fee:

Free.

Application Requirements:

Applicants must submit the following materials:

  1. A short project proposal for the artwork(s) to be produced during the 13-day residency (may include images, sketches, inspirations, etc.).
  2. A portfolio of previous works.
  3. A brief artist statement, biography, and CV.
  4. (Optional) A short note explaining the relevance of your personal or familial post-war context to your practice, if you feel comfortable sharing.

How to Apply?

Submit your application materials directly via email to cadzandair@gmail.com.

Key Dates:

  • Application Deadline: April 1, 2026.
  • Selected Artists Notified: April 15, 2026.
  • Residency Dates: August 3 – 16, 2026.
  • Public Exhibition: August 13 – 16, 2026.

Location:

Cadzand and Retranchement, The Netherlands.

Contact Information:

Email: cadzandair@gmail.com

Website: Cadzand Air