Applications Guidelines
Taking place in Luanda, the NESR Art Foundation’s residency program is open to all emerging artists from Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé e Príncipe, and the selection is made by the foundation’s artistic committee following an open call for applications.
The residency’s mission is to establish deeper engagement between artists and curators, and to create opportunities for practical and theoretical mentorship. It has a commitment to facilitating connections with the social and cultural scene in Angola, as well as maintaining strong conversations between the residents and international arts professionals.
The Residency program welcomes 6 artists per year, in 3 sessions of 10 weeks, with 2 artists at a time. Residents receive a fully furnished studio and living space, as well as a monthly stipend and production grant.
REQUIREMENTS:
Any emerging artist from Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique & São Tomé e Príncipe, aged 18 and over;
The applicants must be citizens and based in those countries;
Artists seeking an opportunity to develop their practice, able to explain how the experience of a residency may benefit their career development;
Emerging artists who have not benefited from international exhibitions and institutional support will be prioritized in the selection process.
The residency program cannot unfortunately receive artist collectives at this time.
Each of the selected artists will receive:
Fully furnished artist studio
Accommodation in shared facilities
Stipend to support living expenses, paid in local currency
Production grant - managed by the Foundation
Travel costs covered to/from Angola (for non-Angolan artists)
Visa to Angola
Mentoring Session with the Curators from the Artistic Committee
Note: all costs not mentioned above are the responsibility of the candidate.
Applicants are expected to submit the following elements in English or Portuguese:
- Portfolio detailing recent projects, artworks, exhibitions, workshops, and residencies
- Passport and I.D Card - valid for over 6months to proof nationality (PDF)
- 10 lines of text explaining the practice
- 10 lines of text with your motivation to participate in the residency
- 10 high-resolution images of your previous projects, works or exhibitions, which could include unrealized proposals. Each image must include captions and a short 5 lines description of the work(include it into the portfolio).
For videos/films, please provide links in the portfolio - DO NOT SEND PRIVATE EMAILS WITH ATTACHMENTS.
The total size of the attachments should not exceed 4MB.
Applications are open until November 20,2026 (11:30pm Angola time). Any submission received after November 20, will not be considered.
Applicants will be selected to join the next editions: February - April, May - July, and October - December 2027.
Applicants will be notified of the Committee’s decision by December 31, 2026.
Good Luck!