Zuecca Projects announces the first open call for its Art Residency program at Squero Castello in Venice, Italy.

Selected artists will be invited to join the Zuecca Art Residency and to develop new artworks inspired by the dystopian Eco-totalitarian novel Ad Bestias by Francesca Sarah Toich.

Artists of all disciplines, ages, and nationalities are invited to apply for the opportunity to be selected for a 4-week Art Residency in Venice, between November 2024 and January 2025.

Ad Bestias, a novel by the Italian writer and performer Francesca Sarah Toich, is the theme of this edition of the Zuecca Art Residency. The novel is about a dystopian future in which a vegan dictatorial regime has taken control. Women are used as gestation capsules for endangered mammalian animals, as in the case of the protagonist who finds herself pregnant with a white rhino cub.

The themes faced in the novel – which will be the focus of the Art Residency – are Eco-totalitarianism, dystopia, metamorphosis, veganism, anatomical colonization, repopulation of endangered animal species and self-induced extinction, science fiction, and weather control.

A few extracts (in Italian, English, and French) from the novel can be found here.

During their stay at the Zuecca Art Residency, the selected artist/s will have the opportunity to meet and interact with the author of the novel in order to develop the work. The images of the work/s produced during the residency will be included in the forthcoming editorial project dedicated to Ad Bestias.

To participate in the call, artists need to submit the following materials by email to submission@zueccaprojectspace.com:

CV with full name, contact details, most relevant solo and group exhibitions, publications, and residencies
Portfolio* or website link with artworks produced
Max 5MB by email; if the size exceeds 5MB, please share it via GoogleDrive or Dropbox
Sketch of an artwork inspired by Ad Bestias and/or a project proposal describing the artwork/s to be produced during the Art Residency
All required materials must be submitted by 15 September 2024. Entries that are incomplete or do not meet the above requirements will not be considered.

Submissions will be reviewed by Zuecca Projects and the author Francesca Sarah Toich. Only selected artist/s will be contacted by email by 15 October 2024.

Zuecca Art Residency:

Zuecca Art Residency, managed by the Venetian art organization Zuecca Projects, is hosted at Squero Castello, a former gondola boatyard in Venice, which has been transformed into an exhibition space and art residency.

The Art Residency includes:

A/R travel to/from Venice
Studio space for production (Squero Castello)
Apartment in Venice for the duration of the residency
Support in Venice