Reflekt Residency
Open Call for Artists, Curators, Art Practitioners
Schedule
Residency period: 31 August–29 November 2025
Application deadline: 31 May2025
Application deadline: 31 May2025
Open Call for Artists, Curators and Art Practitioners
A Filipino chant artist enacting sonic intimacies of singing in public, fusing improvisation and cultural resonance to reveal tensions between self-expression and shared experiences. An emerging contemporary artist from Timor-Leste examining the ongoing struggle for freedom and its entailing complexities. Seasoned Indonesian choreographer blending genders, fluid identities, and spiritual traditions in an attempt to create dialogue that celebrates diversity.
These artists were just a few of the selected participants in the past iterations of the REFLEKT residency program, a Goethe-Institut Southeast Asia initiative which fosters shared artistic collaborations, critical reflections, and creative re-learnings. Through workshops, discussions, and cross-disciplinary exchanges, REFLEKT residents engage with a variety of practices, deepening their understanding of both their own work and the broader artistic landscape. As they open up horizons and explore new narratives, REFLEKT transposes into a space where connections across cultures and disciplines coalesce.
These artists were just a few of the selected participants in the past iterations of the REFLEKT residency program, a Goethe-Institut Southeast Asia initiative which fosters shared artistic collaborations, critical reflections, and creative re-learnings. Through workshops, discussions, and cross-disciplinary exchanges, REFLEKT residents engage with a variety of practices, deepening their understanding of both their own work and the broader artistic landscape. As they open up horizons and explore new narratives, REFLEKT transposes into a space where connections across cultures and disciplines coalesce.
REFLEKT Residency 2025
For the 2025 residency, SAVVY Contemporary (Berlin) will continue as the hosting organization. We are keen to collaborate with artists, thinkers, researchers, and cultural professionals who are active in developing artistic organizations, educational projects, neighborhood initiatives and public research programs. We are interested in initiating long-term engagement on topics such as: Afro-Pacific cultural and art-historical affinities, role of artists in cultural management, innovative and critical approaches in exhibition-making, intersections between social development and artist-run entities, accessibility in precarious conditions and aesthetic strategies in cross-sectoral mobilization.
About SAVVY Contemporary: Overview activities and requirements
SAVVY Contemporary is an artistic organisation, discursive platform, place for good talks, foods and drinks – a space for conviviality and cultural plurilog. It situated itself at the threshold of the West and the non-West to understand their conceptualisations, ethical systems, achievements, and ruins. It develops tools, proposes perspectives and nourishes practices towards imagining a world inhabited together. During the time of the residency, SAVVY’s exhibition projects will specifically focus on remittance culture and diasporic communities as well as how to create a counter-spell – from Guinea-Bissau to Papua New Guinea – against the echoes and presences of the Berlin Conference, that 140 years ago divided the African continent. Artists in residence are invited to expand their research and engage with the echoes of this project whilst simultaneously reinstate the gaze through other historic momentums.
- Sie sind Künstler*in, Denker*in, Forscher*in und/oder Kunst- und Kulturschaffender mit einschlägiger Berufserfahrung, Sie waren mindestens zehn Jahre im Kunstsektor beruflich tätig oder verfügen über einen entsprechend relevanten Hochschulabschluss/Masterabschluss.
- Sie leben in Indonesien, Malaysia, den Philippinen oder Timor-Leste.
- Die Kommunikationssprache während der Residenz ist Englisch. Da von den Teilnehmenden eine aktive Beteiligung erwartet wird, sind fundierte Grundkenntnisse und eine sichere Anwendung der englischen Sprache erforderlich.
- Sie sollten bereits über Erfahrungen in der Teilnahme an einer internationalen Ausstellung, Produktion, Auftragsarbeit, Festival, Residenz-Programm oder in der Durchführung von Forschungsarbeiten verfügen.
- Ausdrücklich zur Bewerbung aufgefordert sind Kunst- oder Kulturschaffende mit forschungs- und publikumsorientiertem Engagement. Von potenziellen Resident*innen wird erwartet, dass sie sich mit den Mitgliedern und dem weiteren Umfeld der Organisation austauschen wollen. SAVVY Contemporary verfügt nicht über Atelierräume für die Produktion.
- Residents will be accompanied throughout their residency by a team of SAVVY members – with regular meetings on research and project related topics as well as facilitating an entry to the city and its cultural landscape.
- Residents and SAVVY Contemporary will develop together their vision and schedule for the residency.
- The residents are invited to actively engage with the archives and current programmes of SAVVY Contemporary as well as to regularly exchange on our respective practices with the overall SAVVY team.
- Residents are invited but not expected to actively participate in the space and our programme. Be it a presentation, workshop, performance, listening session, community dinner, or whatever you wish to do – you will be happily supported.
RESIDENCY DETAILS
Goethe-Institut will cover the costs for airfare to Germany (return, economy class), visa and travel expenses for visa appointment, travel insurance, as well as accommodation during the residency. The accommodation will be a shared flat consisting of two bedrooms and a work studio. Artists will receive a lump-sum of fee and daily costs of € 3.000 for the whole residency and a subsidy for production/research of € 600.APPLICATION
If this residency is relevant to your interests and career trajectory, please fill out the application form below.Students or people currently in study arenoteligible to apply.
The application deadline:31 May 2025
The applications will be evaluated by SAVVY Contemporary, an independent jury, and the Goethe-Institut staff in respective countries. Short-listed candidates will be invited for an online interview between June–July 2025.
Contact
Do you have further questions? Do not hesistate to contact us below:
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Angela Sonico
Program Coordinator
Goethe-Institut Manila
Tel.: +63 2 88405723-24 / 88170978
Fax: +63 2 8817 0979
program-manila@goethe.de