Organizer Information
The Goethe-Institut Ho Chi Minh City and Goethe-Institut Bangkok, in partnership with the Nổ Cái Bùm (NCB) Festival, present the Confluence of Myths Residency 2026, a regional artist residency dedicated to research-driven contemporary artistic practice in the Lower Mekong Subregion.
The Goethe-Institut is the official cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany, operating worldwide to promote international cultural exchange, artistic collaboration, education, and intercultural dialogue. Through exhibitions, residencies, grants, and educational initiatives, it supports artists and cultural practitioners while encouraging critical engagement with contemporary social and cultural issues.
Its partner, Nổ Cái Bùm (NCB), is a non-profit, mobile arts and culture festival that travels to different provinces across Vietnam every two years. The festival transforms local communities into spaces for artistic experimentation by organizing exhibitions, workshops, lectures, performances, screenings, and public programs. By collaborating with local residents, researchers, and artists, NCB promotes cultural tourism while strengthening connections between regional heritage and contemporary artistic practice.
Together, the organizations have launched this residency to encourage artistic exchange across Southeast Asia and support projects that respond to the cultural, environmental, historical, and social complexities of the Mekong Delta, particularly the provinces of Trà Vinh and Bến Tre.
Title & Description
Confluence of Myths residency Open call
Confluence of Myths Residency 2026 is a fully funded one-month international artist residency in Trà Vinh, Vietnam, inviting four emerging art practitioners from the Lower Mekong Subregion to investigate the relationship between mythology, oral history, cultural memory, and contemporary artistic practice.
Centered around the theme "Confluence of Myths," the residency explores how stories shape places, identities, and collective memory. Inspired by Trà Vinh's multicultural landscape—where Khmer, Kinh, and Hoa (Chinese) communities have coexisted for generations—the program encourages participants to research local legends, folklore, oral traditions, indigenous knowledge, and myth-making processes.
A central point of reference is the famous Bà Om Pond (Ao Bà Om), whose numerous legends illustrate how one physical site can embody multiple historical, spiritual, and cultural narratives simultaneously. Participants are encouraged to examine how myths evolve over time, how legends legitimize social or supernatural phenomena, and how storytelling continues to influence contemporary realities.
Rather than focusing solely on historical documentation, the residency welcomes experimental, interdisciplinary, and community-based artistic research. Artists may work across visual arts, writing, performance, sound, installation, research, or hybrid practices, developing new projects through dialogue with local communities, scholars, and fellow residents.
Throughout the residency, participants will engage in field research, workshops, discussions, screenings, guided tours, and collaborative activities before presenting their work during an open studio. Selected projects will later be showcased as part of the No Cai Bum Art Festival 2026, providing an opportunity to share research outcomes with wider public audiences in Vietnam.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Contemporary Art
- Installation
- Performance Art
- Photography
- Video Art
- Film
- Sound Art
- Creative Writing
- Literature
- Research-Based Art
- Interdisciplinary Art
- Community Art
- Social Practice
- Cultural Research
- Oral History
- Public Art
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be residents or citizens of one of the Lower Mekong Subregion countries:
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Thailand
- Myanmar
- Be emerging art practitioners (no age restriction).
- Artists, researchers, writers, curators, or interdisciplinary creators are encouraged to apply.
- Demonstrate an artistic practice engaging with culture, history, language, mythology, folklore, oral history, or related themes.
- Have an interest in research-driven, experimental, or community-based artistic methodologies.
- Writers focusing on creative writing, allegory, speculative narratives, or critical fabulation are welcome.
- Be able to communicate in English.
- Be available to participate in the full residency period.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Artist and production fee of up to EUR 800.
- Fully funded international round-trip airfare to Trà Vinh, Vietnam.
- Accommodation throughout the residency.
- Shared studio and working space, including access to a simple ceramics studio.
- Local transportation within Trà Vinh.
- Living stipend of EUR 200 per participant.
- Curatorial mentorship from a Vietnamese curator.
- Logistical support from local coordinators.
- Weekly workshops, lectures, screenings, discussions, and guided research visits.
- Opportunities to collaborate directly with local communities.
- Networking with artists and cultural practitioners across Vietnam.
- Public Open Studio presentation.
- Opportunity to exhibit or perform during the No Cai Bum Art Festival 2026.
- Fully funded travel and accommodation for festival participation and exhibition installation during the festival period.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 9 August 2026
- Shortlisted Interviews: 19–21 August 2026
- Selected Artists Announced: 25 August 2026
- Residency Period: 15 October – 15 November 2026
- Festival Showcase: Late December 2026
- No Cai Bum Festival Participation: Approximately 25 December 2026 – 2 January 2027
Location
Trà Vinh, Vietnam
Additional Details
- Only four artists will be selected.
- The residency emphasizes site-specific artistic research rooted in the cultural landscapes of the Mekong Delta.
- Participants are encouraged to engage directly with local communities and cultural practitioners rather than solely producing studio-based work.
- The residency supports interdisciplinary experimentation and values process-based artistic inquiry alongside finished artworks.
- Projects may investigate mythology, folklore, storytelling, linguistic fragmentation, cultural identity, ecology, indigenous knowledge, and historical memory.
- English serves as the working language for the residency.
- The residency concludes with an Open Studio presentation before selected works are presented publicly during the No Cai Bum Festival.
- The program aims to strengthen regional artistic networks within the Lower Mekong while fostering long-term cultural exchange between Southeast Asian practitioners.