1646 is looking for an (inter)national artist or researcher to do a residency in The Hague.

With an international focus and valuing the circulation of perspectives, our fully funded Residency Program is set up as a retreat to nourish work, develop ideas and connections. Through an annual open call, we open our doors to artists/researchers engaged in creative practices worldwide. Our 2025 open call is a collaboration between ReCNTR and 1646.

What are we looking for?
The call proposed by ReCNTR and 1646 is open to both artists/researchers interested in investigating relevant social and political issues through multimodal and artistic methods. The objective of the residency is to support the work of individuals engaged in the practice of “thinking through making”, i.e. artistic or multimodal practices not as separate from, or in dialogue with knowledge production, but as practices and methodologies of knowledge production in and of themselves. The artistic practice should foreground a robust relationship with research.
The selected candidate needs to have experience in presenting their work both in an artistic and academic context (e.g. offering master class, guest teaching, publishing, collaborating with academics…).

What can you expect?
The focus of the residency lies on experimenting and researching, rather than arriving at an end result. Instead of a final exhibition, the residency culminates in a public event that showcases the insights and ideas explored. The format is open to what the practice and moment in the process calls for and will be decided in conversation with the residency team.

Another moment will be planned where you will engage with students at Leiden University as a guest lecturer, workshop facilitator, etc. The exact format will be decided together. The aim is to share your artistic/ multimodal-research practice within the scope of ReCNTR’s educational agenda at the university.

The emphasis is placed on the presence and interaction of the resident within the context of 1646 and ReCNTR’s community in the Netherlands, composed of artists, art professionals, researchers, students and faculty members, at Leiden University.

During the residency, there will be three studio visits made jointly by both ReCNTR and 1646 teams:– The ReCNTR team will offer you support defining your research question, reflecting on the methodology within your artistic practice, and exploring preliminary results/insights.
– The 1646 team will focus on your studio practice and you will engage in conversations with the curatorial team on the artistic process.
– All these conversations will be planned in advance.

What do we offer?

• A 2 months residency in September – October 2025.

• An artist fee of € 2.000 – including VAT.

• A production budget of € 1.000,- including VAT.

• A studio space of 5 x 3m inside 1646 building. Residents can make use of our (technical) equipment and tools. They can also make use of the workshop facilities of the Royal Art Academy (KABK) and will have access to Leiden University’s facilities, including the library’s physical and online catalogues.

• One of 1646’s small studio apartments located in the building of 1646. The accommodation includes a shared kitchen and bathroom. Family members are welcome to join the residency when communicated beforehand, Please notice that the accommodation consists of a small double bedroom, which could fit a baby bed in it.

• Travelling expenses of the artist are covered up to €750. We promote the use of low carbon travelling wherever possible. The travel costs of partners and/or children cannot be covered.
  Guests will be offered at least 3 feedback sessions by both 1646 and ReCNTR’s curatorial team (in total).
  

How to apply?
Due to the high number of applications, and in order to optimise the procedure, the application process will be divided in two rounds. Only the candidates selected out of the first round will be invited to apply to the second round.
Please find here detailed information on each application round:

First round
On this page you’ll find the application form for the first round. Only applications received via this form will be taken into consideration for the residency.

• Applicants need to fill in the form with the following information:
  artist/ research statement of a maximum of 100 words.

• A selection of 4 images representing 4 different projects, with a brief description per image (maximum 50 words each).
  Website link.
  

Second round
If invited to apply for the second round, you would receive a new link to an application form to share the following documents:

• A project proposal: describing your project and stating goals, in which you explain, and provide evidence for, the research dimension of your practice or the artistic dimension of your research (max. 1 A4 or 500 words, text only);

• Portfolio (max. 30 pages).

• CV/Resume.

• A selection of up to 3 publications (e.g., zines, interviews, blog posts, essays, or formal peer-reviewed academic work).
  These documents should be uploaded as one single PDF file (max. 50MB). For large files (like videos), please insert a link to the source where the file can be viewed and include passwords if applicable.

Keep the following documentation tips in mind:

• Place your work in horizontal pages (unless the original work is vertical) as most of the applications are initially viewed on a horizontal screen (laptop).

• Make sure you put only one or two works per page (combining too many works makes the page illegible).

• Insert title, material, size, and year of the work next to or under the image on the same page. You may also include a short description of the work.

• Double-check your links in the final PDF before submitting it. If links do not work, 1646 & ReCNTR cannot review your application correctly and properly. The links should be active for at least up to two months after the deadline has passed.
  

Applications for the first round can be submitted from February 24, 2025 until March 7, 2025 16.00 hr (CET).
On May 3, 2025 we will inform you if you are invited to apply for the second round. Applications for the second round can be submitted from May 6, 2025 until May 23, 2025 16.00 hr (CET).

Selection process
All fully completed applications submitted during this period will be thoroughly reviewed by the selection committee consisting of members from both organisations (1646 and ReCNTR) and outside commission members, all with an artistic, curatorial and/or creative research profile.

Out of the first application round 15 candidates will be selected. These will be invited to apply to the second round. Out of the second round 3 candidates will be selected. These will be invited to do a video interview in order to select the final candidate.

The points that the selection committee takes into consideration when looking at the applications are:

• Both the artistic and research quality of the portfolio and proposal.

• How the portfolio and proposal fit within the context of 1646 and ReCNTR.

• The candidate’s experience in both academic and artistic contexts.
  

Please note we will not judge the applications on the level of English as long as the proposal is clear. However a basic level of English is necessary for the communication with the team of 1646 and ReCNTR, and to get around in The Netherlands.Applicants will be notified about the selection results in May 2025. All applications will be deleted after the selection has been made.