Arnis Residency is an annual residency programme for contemporary artists on a peninsula in Northern Germany, taking place from 18 September – 03 October 2022. It encourages to engage with the region’s local and remote context in order to encounter a world characterised by connections and flows beyond cities. Artists are invited to propose a project until 25 July 2022.
Aiming to expand the notion of residencies in rural places as opportunities beyond mere retreats, we encourage practical applications that engage with the region’s economic, historic, socio-political or geographical conditions. Selected residents will participate in a final public exhibition located throughout various sites across Arnis.
About Arnis
Arnis lies close to the Baltic Sea in a fjord called Schlei and is the smallest town in Germany, both by population (281 habitants) and by area (0.45 km2). Arnis was founded in 1667 by working families moving from Kappeln, a nearby town, in order to avoid the increasing subjugation of indentured servitude . In the 19th century, Arnis turned into a prosperous harbour town, known beyond German borders for its maritime trade. Arnis’ shipyards, alongside tourism and yachting, still represent a significant part of the region’s current economy. Situated within the region of Anglia, Arnis is also the original home to the Angels, a group of Germanic migrants who became the namesake of their destined homeland, England.
Application Guidelines
Applicants are invited to submit a brief description of a project they would like to realize and exhibit at the end of their residency. Due to the residency’s short duration, we encourage applicants to apply with projects and research already in development that can somehow be linked to Arnis and the locale, though feasible new experiments are welcome too. The residency is open to contemporary art disciplines such as performance, film, painting, sculpture, photography, writing, installation, sound and new media.
Depending on the nature of the artistic work and weather conditions, there are various exhibition sites, including a local beach, a residency sailing boat, an old water boat wharf, a floating raft, the residency house’s back garden and a small car ferry. Local resources include sailmakers, boat builders, chart makers, a metal workshop, a wood workshop, a pottery, a women’s choir, a vocal coach, artists’ studios, a textile business, multiple harbours, restaurants, a bakery, a rum hawkery, a yoga studio, a maritime church with a historical organ, an old Danish school, an old football field and an old mill.
Application & Residency Specifications
Arnis Residency offers accommodation, food, sailing trips and swims in the Schlei for the duration of two weeks. Each applicant (duos count as one) is provided an individual room as well as a space to work in locations suitable to one’s project (a small studio space, a shed, and a sailing boat). Each applicant will have access to a travel allowance of 100€ and a small production stipend of 50€.
During the residency there will be personal counsel, access to tools, as well as facilitated meetings with locals such as the metal workers or sail makers. Residents will be taken on short sailing trips and other excursions throughout the area.
Arnis Residency seeks to create an inclusive, safe space for people of all ability backgrounds, lineages, cultural and religious beliefs, sexualities, and gender expressions. However you identify, we welcome you and are ready to do our best to listen and accommodate your needs. Proposals will be judged by artistic merit, and we are working to diversify the lenses through which they are reviewed. Please note that within the town of Arnis there remains only limited access for wheelchairs. As in previous years, applications by couples and duos are welcome.
Please send ONE PDF (with up to 15 MB) providing a short description of your artistic practice and a specific working proposal for the Arnis Residency, along with a short CV and images of your past work. If you have a website, please include the link in your application. Send the file in the following format:
‘FirstName LastName_Arnis Residency 2022’
The deadline to apply is 25 July 2022. Successful applicants will be informed shortly thereafter.
Applications must be sent to arnisresidency@gmail.com. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.
