Organizer Information
Creative New Zealand and Creative Australia have partnered with Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies to launch the Oceania Pacific Arts Residency 2026, a collaborative residency initiative supporting Pacific artistic exchange and regional cultural dialogue.
The Oceania Centre at The University of the South Pacific (USP) in Suva, Fiji, is internationally recognized for its role in advancing Pacific arts, Indigenous cultural knowledge, interdisciplinary research, and regional creative collaboration. The Centre has long served as a vital platform for Pacific artists, writers, scholars, performers, and cultural practitioners engaging with contemporary social, environmental, and political issues across Oceania.
This residency initiative reflects a growing commitment among Pacific cultural organizations to strengthen transnational artistic relationships across Te Moana Nui a Kiwa (the Pacific region). Through this pilot program, the partner organizations aim to support artists whose practices engage with Pacific identity, cultural continuity, climate justice, and community-centred creative practice.
The residency also aligns with broader regional strategies focused on cultural sustainability, international collaboration, and climate resilience, recognizing climate change as one of the most urgent realities facing Pacific Island communities today.
Title & Description
Oceania Pacific Arts Residency 2026
The Oceania Pacific Arts Residency 2026 is a six-week international residency program for established Pacific artists and arts practitioners from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. Hosted at the Oceania Centre at The University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, the residency provides selected artists with the opportunity to develop new interdisciplinary creative work centred around the theme of Climate Change.
The program is designed to foster deeper artistic exchange and long-term regional relationships among Pacific creatives while encouraging engagement with local communities, environmental realities, and contemporary Pacific cultural narratives.
One artist from each participating country will be selected to undertake the residency together, creating a collaborative environment that emphasizes shared learning, dialogue, experimentation, and cross-cultural exchange. Artists will be encouraged to explore how climate change impacts Pacific communities socially, culturally, politically, spiritually, and environmentally.
The residency particularly values projects that connect artistic practice with public engagement, local participation, storytelling, Indigenous knowledge systems, and socially engaged creative processes. Participants may develop research, workshops, performances, installations, writings, multimedia projects, community engagement activities, or interdisciplinary works during the residency period.
The residency also seeks to strengthen artists’ international networks and support the development of sustainable creative practices within the Pacific region.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Contemporary Art
- Multimedia Art
- Community Arts
- Social Practice
- Performance
- Film & Video
- Writing & Literature
- Poetry
- Photography
- Sound Art & Music
- Indigenous Arts
- Cultural Research
- Installation Art
- Public Art
- Interdisciplinary Practice
- Environmental & Climate Art
- Pacific Cultural Practice
Eligibility
The residency is open to established artists and arts practitioners from:
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Fiji
General Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must:
- Be citizens or permanent residents of their respective countries
- Have at least 10 years of professional arts practice
- Have exhibited, presented, or published work nationally or internationally
- Submit a project proposal responding to the theme of Climate Change
- Demonstrate professional capacity for international cultural engagement
- Be committed to collaborative and community-oriented artistic practice
Additional Criteria
For New Zealand applicants:
- Applicants must be of Pacific Islands heritage
- Their work should engage with Pasifika identity, culture, or history
For Australian applicants:
- Applicants must demonstrate long-term engagement with the Pacific region
For Fiji applicants:
- Applicants should demonstrate engagement with Pasifika identity, culture, or history through their artistic practice
Applicants with overdue grant reports or funding defaults with the participating organisations are not eligible.
Program Benefits & Awards
- NZD $9,000 artist fee
- Return international travel to Suva
- Accommodation during the residency
- Daily per diem support
- NZD $4,000 project development budget
- Networking and regional engagement opportunities
- Institutional support and local introductions
- Opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration
- Access to local artistic and cultural networks
- Community engagement opportunities
- Professional development within the Pacific region
The project budget may be used for:
- Materials
- Equipment hire
- Venue hire
- Insurance
- Promotion
- Local transport
- Internet access
- Local mentorship support
Successful participants will also receive guidance and assistance from residency organizers and local hosts before and during the residency period.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
Applicants must complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) submission, including:
- Contact information
- Artist biography
- Links to portfolio, website, or previous work
- Description of proposed residency project
- Explanation of how the proposal connects to:
- Climate Change
- Pacific regional engagement
- Relevant organisational strategies
- Community impact in Fiji
- Explanation of artistic goals and intended outcomes
Applicants may also discuss:
- Why Fiji is significant to their project
- How the residency builds upon previous work
- How the residency supports experimentation and artistic growth
The written proposal has a maximum length of 4,000 characters.
No budget or detailed timetable is required at the EOI stage.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 4 June 2026
- Results Announced: 22 June 2026
Residency Period
- 1 October – 12 November 2026
Online Info / Talanoa Sessions
- 7 May 2026
- 14 May 2026
- 21 May 2026
- 28 May 2026
Location
Suva, Fiji
Additional Details
The residency emphasizes Pacific cultural exchange, collaborative learning, and environmentally engaged artistic practice. Artists are expected to actively participate in local engagement opportunities and contribute to broader regional conversations surrounding climate change and cultural sustainability.
The organizers strongly encourage applicants interested in socially engaged practice, Indigenous knowledge systems, environmental storytelling, and interdisciplinary experimentation.
Accessibility accommodations are available for Deaf and disabled artists or applicants requiring access support during the application process or residency period.
The residency studio is suitable for a single artist or a couple, and additional accommodation arrangements may be discussed directly with organizers.
Applications will be assessed based on:
- Artistic merit
- Feasibility of the proposal
- Professional impact
- Suitability for the residency environment
- Contribution to Pacific artistic networks and collaboration