Curatorial Studio: Residency Program for Island Art Initiatives and Artists. Paris
Studio in Paris — Curatorial Support withing MARLANDS
Concept The curatorial collaborative studio, led by Elena Posokhova, is built on her extensive experience in organizing and executing interdisciplinary art projects and residencies, as well as developing funding proposals. The focus is on exploring new perspectives within the art sector, particularly in relation to island and coastal territories, while actively promoting the work of artists.
The studio offers a dedicated workspace and thematic context that fosters collaboration between artists and the curator through the exchange of ideas and insights. This interaction encourages joint project development, curatorial support, and strategic approaches to securing resources, enhancing visibility and research initiatives. Proposals that resonate with themes of territory, socio-cultural landscapes, ecology, and nature are especially welcomed, emphasizing a commitment to meaningful artistic inquiry.
There is a particular interest in working with locations relevant to the project's geography (Paris, Valencia, and the Mediterranean and Atlantic islands of the EU), supporting the intersection of art and science while fostering experimentation and multicultural dialogue that enriches the creative process.
Location:
The studio will take place in Paris, a cultural capital that offers unique opportunities for exchanging ideas and artistic practices. Place - Iota Studios Avant Seine a Puteaux.
The studio was established within the framework of curatorial research and the artistic development of the concept of island territories and coastal zones of Marlands. Curatorial support is offered to artists whose projects relate to this direction.
The studio works with artists across several formats, each suited to different circumstances and needs. Common to all is a collaborative effort toward developing the visibility and strategy of the artist’s research. The artistic concept and research remain entirely in the hands of the artist.
Module 1. Curatorial Project Support
The artist submits a proposal describing the themes, objectives, and interest in specific locations associated with the studio. At this stage, possible directions for the project and a timeline are outlined.
The artist then undertakes, in collaboration with the curator, a substantial process of funding research: forming a dossier, developing the concept, preparing proposals, and submitting applications. The budget is structured to cover fees, studio costs, materials, travel, and exhibitions. Work on realisation begins only once support has been obtained.
The work takes place at one or two chosen project locations — Paris, Valencia, or one of the Marlands island territories. The artist gains access to studio space, production workshops, and collections. Curatorial accompaniment at this stage is a dialogue that enriches the research, alongside the organisation of exhibitions and events that expand the visibility of the work and its process.
Module 2. Remote Support
For artists who prefer to work in distance. The work unfolds in stages: an initial discussion of the ideas and objectives of the artist’s project, followed by the joint development of a strategy for the research and its promotion. The dialogue takes place remotely.
At key moments, the studio organises an open event in Paris — with the artist’s works or documentation, with or without their presence. This allows the research to gain visibility within a professional context regardless of the artist’s physical location.
Module 3. Annual Invitation — Open Call
A special studio programme. Once a year, the studio selects one artist through an open call for a short-term collaboration — from one week to one month. Curatorial support within this programme is provided at the expense of the studio and its partners. The format is determined together: a new work, a presentation, a discursive event. Following the collaboration, discussions, group exhibitions, or a publication are possible. Selection is based on the submitted dossier.
Module 4. Summer Studio Access
During the summer months, the studio space is open to artists wishing to work independently — without a curatorial programme and without any obligation of outcome. Only a space, a city, and time.
Module 5. For Artists Based in Paris
A format for those already living and working in Paris. The studio offers a series of working sessions for the development of the artist’s current research. The direction is not set in advance — it may involve engagement with island and coastal territories and their residencies, remote collaboration with researchers or professionals on location, application support, or any other format the development of the research requires. The subsequent programme is shaped around the artist’s objectives — between Paris and the chosen context.
How to Begin?
Write to the studio indicating the format that corresponds to your situation, and briefly describing your project and availability. Each enquiry is considered individually. Selected dossiers are invited to a meeting — in person or remotely — to determine the concrete possibilities for working together.
Email address – elena.maritima@gmail.com
Studio Partners
The studio works in partnership with Villa Belleville and the Iota space — a community of over one hundred active artists in Paris with connections to the gallery and institutional world. In the academic dimension, the studio collaborates with two universities: Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne — through its gallery and doctoral programme in visual arts — and Sorbonne University, which provides access to scientific collections, libraries, archives, and the research community. Access to the BnF collections is also among the resources available to programme participants. The Marlands project brings together partner art centres and residencies across the island territories of the Mediterranean and Atlantic.
Visibility and Communication
The studio supports the creation of content about the artist’s work and research — for professional publications, social media, and the Marlands project platform. Where possible, press releases are distributed to Parisian media and art press.
What Participation Offers
For artists coming to Paris or working remotely:
Access to the professional and academic community of Paris, expanded visibility for the research, and conditions for seeking financial support and showing work — in Paris and across Marlands locations.
For artists based in Paris:
The possibility of moving beyond the Parisian context — through engagement with island territories, their residencies, and their natural and cultural specificity. An exchange of images, methods, and ways of thinking with artists and environments shaped by entirely different conditions.
Program Objectives
The curatorial studio is dedicated to fostering collaborations between the cultural capital of Paris and island art initiatives, as well as contemporary artistic communities. One of the primary goals is to create a platform for interaction between invited artists and art operators from European islands.
This program aims to establish connections and bridges for developing the dynamics and resources of contemporary art in island territories, while also promoting ecological solutions in production.
Methodology
Proposal Analysis: Artists submit proposals outlining their themes and objectives, highlighting their interest in specific locations associated with the studio. This phase includes drafting project possibilities and establishing timelines.
Funding Search: In partnership, artists and the curator develop proposals aimed at securing necessary funding. Budgets are crafted to cover fees, studio costs, materials, travel, and exhibitions.
Project Execution: Once funding is secured, work begins on developing the art project. Curatorial support involves ongoing dialogue that enriches research and organizing meetings with individuals or organizations that contribute to it. Artists are provided with a studio space in Paris, along with access to production workshops, laboratories, and collections. Exhibitions and other events are organized to enhance the visibility of the research and the creative process, further expanding opportunities for the realization of their works.
ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
Selected artists, research processes and exhibition outcomes developed within the residency program.
12 Artists • 8 Projects • 3 Exhibitions
Working Program:
Workspace: Participants will have access to studio space as part of a permanent residency for artists based in and working in Paris. They will also have access to well-equipped technical workshops for testing the practical aspects of their practice.
Curatorial Support: Tailored curatorial assistance will be provided to meet the individual projects of the artists.
Integration into the Art Community: Participants will have opportunities for integration into the art community, including the organization of an open studio with invitations to professionals and collectors.
Engagement with the Academic Community: We will consider organizing colloquiums or conferences, as well as visits to libraries and laboratories, allowing artists to exchange knowledge and collaborate with the scientific community.
Location:
The studio will take place in Paris, a cultural capital that offers unique opportunities for exchanging ideas and artistic practices. Place - Iota Studios Avant Seine a Puteaux.
Key Parisian Project Partners:
Cultural Center Villa Belleville: Provides partnership conditions for organizing workshops and communication.
Connections with the Sorbonne Campus, the university's Sorbonne Art gallery, and the Doctoral school in Visual Arts, creating additional opportunities for participants.
Individual studio space within a community of Iota space of over 100 selected and active artists, with connections to the gallery and institutional community.
Parisian bloggers and journalists reporting on art and news in the art world.
Expected Outcomes:
For Program Participants:
Inspiration and new experiences for developing creative work and creating new pieces.
Expansion of art research, exploration of new themes and narratives, and acquisition of new practices and experiences.
Increased visibility and expanded networks, creating new opportunities for collaboration.
Experience working with current trends in the art world.
For Parisian Artists:
Acquisition of skills in environmentally-oriented practices.
Opportunities for interaction with other disciplines, such as science and academia.
Familiarization with new nature-oriented techniques and technologies.
Potential collaboration with the island residency project MARLANDS or one of the island partners for island-based practices or exhibitions.
Communication and Visibility:
The curator-coordinator of the studio will ensure the creation of content for publications, highlighting both the artist and the partners on social media platforms related to their projects, as well as on the MARLANDS project website. Efforts will be made to promote press releases among active Parisian bloggers and media outlets.
Working Program:
Workspace: Participants will have access to studio space as part of a permanent residency for artists based in and working in Paris. They will also have access to well-equipped technical workshops for testing the practical aspects of their practice.
Curatorial Support: Tailored curatorial assistance will be provided to meet the individual projects of the artists.
Integration into the Art Community: Participants will have opportunities for integration into the art community, including the organization of an open studio with invitations to professionals and collectors.
Engagement with the Academic Community: We will consider organizing colloquiums or conferences, as well as visits to libraries and laboratories, allowing artists to exchange knowledge and collaborate with the scientific community.
Location:
The studio will take place in Paris, a cultural capital that offers unique opportunities for exchanging ideas and artistic practices. Place - Iota Studios Avant Seine a Puteaux. 15m2.
Activities planned:
Scientific Cooperation: To meet or obtain research materials from the scientific community.
Navigating City Sites: Visiting locations related to the research.
Organizing Dialogues: Facilitating discussions with artists or craftsmen involved in the development and cooperation of the work.
Studio Access: Providing access to equipped studios for the realization of part of the works (for an additional cost).
Open Studio Events: Organizing open studios to enhance visibility, inviting artists, art professionals, and local audiences to observe the art project in progress.
Exhibition and Seminar Organization: Efforts to arrange an exhibition and seminar showcasing the art project and artistic practices.
Engagement in Local Art Activities: Involving artist in city art activities to explore significant projects, exhibitions, and venues, as well as to meet people and familiarize themselves with the local art environment.
IOTA Studios Avant Seine Close to La Défense, the western part of Paris, the Avant Seine site is accessible by public transport, car, or bike. It is located in the heart of a calm and friendly neighborhood with restaurants, bars, and grocery stores. IOTA Studios offers targeted services for artists, including a network of raw and accessible studios connected to the local and international artistic scene.
Program Objectives
The curatorial studio is dedicated to fostering collaborations between the cultural capital of Paris and island art initiatives, as well as contemporary artistic communities. Based on the previews experience related with a MARLANDS project supported by EU program, one of the primary goals is to create a platform for interaction between invited artists and art operators from islands, focusing on island territories in Europe, including the Canary Islands, Azores, and Mediterranean islands such as Malta, Venice, Sardinia, Sicily, Cyprus, Crete, and Hydra. This program aims to establish connections and bridges for developing the dynamics and resources of contemporary art in these island territories, while also promoting ecological solutions in production. Target groups include the artists themselves, art professionals, researchers and a broader audience to enhance cultural activities.