Organizer Information
The Embassy of Foreign Artists (EOFA) is a Geneva-based residency program founded in 2012 by an associative structure bringing together practitioners in art, architecture, and urban planning. Administered by the Laps Association, EOFA offers logistical and financial support to artists, researchers, and cultural actors, hosting around a hundred artists a year across residencies that range from initial research to finished presentation. Its programs typically pair resident artists with partner institutions — universities, research laboratories, and, in this case, an academic archive center — situating Geneva's long history as a haven for exiled intellectuals and artists within a contemporary research context.
The Centre for Digital Humanities and Multilateralism (CDHM), based at the Geneva Graduate Institute, is a research center focused on applying digital humanities methods to the study of diplomacy and multilateralism. It has worked on digitizing major archival collections, including the UN Library & Archives Geneva, and is developing a "Portal of Multilateralism" to make these holdings more broadly accessible. CDHM has an active track record of engaging artists directly in its research, including prior visiting-fellow collaborations with theatre and documentary artists exploring the archives of International Geneva.
Title & Description
Artistic Research Residency and Grant for a Project Related to the Archives of International Organisations in Geneva
This residency invites artists to conduct archival research within the collections of Geneva-based international organizations, such as the UN Archives Geneva or the International Committee of the Red Cross Archives, and to develop a project — new dimension, new artistic reading — informed by that material. The call frames these archives as containing not only the official record of diplomacy but also unofficial and informal material: handwritten notes, draft reports, unofficial maps, artworks, sound recordings, and absences. Applicants are asked to propose projects exploring themes such as untold human stories, intergovernmental decision-making, multilateral successes and failures, or reimagined futures for international cooperation. Projects must use archives of Geneva-based international intergovernmental or non-governmental organizations as their primary resource, though links to other Geneva or international organizations are permitted.
Theme
Archives of international organizations in Geneva, approached as a form of collective memory — with an emphasis on the human stories, informal traces, and gaps within the official diplomatic record.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Performance
- Sound/Music
- Video/Film
- Literature
- Comic/Cartoon
- Dance
- Theatre
- Design
- Residency
- Research
- Interdisciplinary Arts
Eligibility
- Open to professional artists working in performing arts, visual arts, or applied arts (including fine arts, music, literature, comics, cinema, dance, theatre, design, video)
- Must have a substantial body of creations, publications, or performances at a professional level
- Must not be currently registered in a basic artistic training course
- Must be over 28 years old at the time of application
- Must speak French or English
- Must accept and agree to pay costs related to their own travel and any artistic production
- Applications may be submitted individually, as a duo, or as a group/collective (stipend amount remains the same regardless of group size)
Program Benefits & Awards
- Accommodation in a private room at EOFA's house, with access to shared spaces used by other residents
- A residency stipend of CHF 1,400 per month, for a three-month residency
- Communication and artistic support provided by EOFA
- Facilitated connections to relevant contacts within the archives of international organizations
- Inclusion in CDHM's research network, with guidance on accessing research materials and expertise in Geneva
- Possible research exchange opportunities with the Geneva Graduate Institute
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 September 2026
- Announcement of Successful Candidates: 10 October 2026 (on the EOFA website)
- Residency Period: 3 months, in 2027 — exact start date to be agreed between the artist's preferred timing and EOFA's availability
Location
Geneva, Switzerland
Additional Details
The residency is a partnership between EOFA and CDHM at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Applicants must accept responsibility for their own travel costs and any costs related to artistic production, beyond the monthly stipend provided.