GPS grants financial support / seed funding of up to R 70.000 per project to artistic projects that are realised in South Africa between February and November 2023. The Goethe-Institut set up this grant in 2016 to support art professionals from across South Africa who collaborate with cultural or public spaces and engage with the people in the areas where these spaces are located.
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For 2023, the focus is on projects that are specifically engaging with communities outside South Africa’s big urban centres.
The Goethe-Institut in Johannesburg calls for proposals for the 2023 edition of the Goethe-Institut Project Space (GPS), a multi-disciplinary support programme for artists and art initiatives living and working in South Africa.The programme supports artistic work realised in any part of South Africa. GPS aims to foster collaborations between art professionals and community spaces that can take the form of workshops or exhibitions, performances or events of any artistic discipline including visual arts, performing arts, film, music, or interdisciplinary work.
GPS is envisioned as a non-commercial, artist-centered platform, designed to support not only the artists and their projects, but also the many structures, spaces and festivals that currently exist and need partnerships of this nature in order to continue their work. GPS enables creators in all artistic disciplines to select the space and infrastructure they wish to work with. GPS signals a move to decentralize; supporting smaller, less institutional and non-commercial spaces, and privileging those situated outside of the large metropoles of South Africa.
An independent jury of arts professionals, selected by the Goethe-Institut for their expertise in the field of high quality independent art projects and community work, is responsible for the selection of projects that will be supported in 2023. GPS forms part of the Goethe-Institut’s programme that promotes cultural dialogue through fostering exchange in the arts. GPS was conceived succeeding the GoetheOnMain space, which was based at Arts On Main in Johannesburg from May 2009 to November 2016.
In 2023, six art projects receive a grant from the Goethe-Institut Project Space (GPS)
The jury accounts, “This year’s proposals showed a large interest in social development through art based projects. Given the nature of the GPS programme, we felt it important to support projects that placed an emphasis on social engagement, rather than social development by choosing projects that showed a strong commitment to developing art of a high standard. The selection of the projects for the 2023 programme reflects the need of artists across disciplines to engage in the questions most pressing in their worlds, without needing to carry the expectation of changing the world as this is a very high burden to place on artists alone.”
If you consider applying, please check out the following information and documents, including eligibility criteria and FAQ. If the information provided doesn’t answer your queries, please send an email to: gpsapplications@goethe.de.
