• About
    • Hosts
    • Partners
  • Atelier 11
  • Program
    • Apply
  • Residents
  • Events
  • News
  • Join
    • Support
  • Contact
L'AiR ARTS
  • About
    • Hosts
    • Partners
  • Atelier 11
  • Program
    • Apply
  • Residents
  • Events
  • News
  • Join
    • Support
  • Contact

Solo & Duo Residency

In 2021, ​L’AiR Arts Association has initiated a cultural heritage project of transforming a historical artists atelier in Paris into an  International Arts Research Residency dedicated to the intercultural artistic exchange. 

Built in the 1870s as an artist-led initiative to provide artists with affordable studios, for 150 years Cité Falguière has served as a working and living place to more than a hundred French and foreign artists, including world-renowned Amedeo Modigliani, Chaïm Soutine, Tsuguharu Foujita, Constantin Brancusi, and Paul Gauguin. ​To safeguard the artistic heritage of this remarkable community and to continue its artistic legacy within contemporary culture, L’AiR Arts together with local and international artists, designers and architects will initiate an extensive restoration and renovation of the last atelier - Atelier 11. Scheduled to re-open in 2023, the newly restored Atelier will be a multifunctional space, offering a practical and relevant platform for contemporary projects, while preserving the essence and artistic spirit of the quintessential artist studio of Montparnasse.  

The aim of this project is to celebrate the significance of the atelier as the longest-lasting residency that accepted and nurtured many artists throughout its 150 years of artistic history. Honouring the legacy of this École de Paris community, the Atelier 11 residency will mark the beginning of the Cité Falguière’s new chapter. It will be supported by 4 main pillars: intercultural exchange, research, professional development and creation. As an experimental collaborative platform, Atelier 11 residency will be focused on solo and duo projects that will run parallel to our international group programs, arts residencies for local practitioners, partner programs and events open to a broader community. 

INVITATION: Calling All Artists and Cultural Professionals

A historic place built by artists for artists, for over 150 years Cité Falguière was operated and supported solely by artists themselves. Not protected by the government, with only one atelier survived as a place for artistic creation, L'AiR Arts Association and its network of artists and cultural professionals strives to maintain it as a community-based space, while trying to obtain some support and recognition from the local government and other funding bodies. 

We invite artists, writers, curators, designers, architects, researchers and other creators and cultural professionals from any corner of the world to join and contribute to the project while benefiting from the Atelier 11 residency. 

L’AiR Arts Atelier 11 - ​Live, Work, Meet, Explore & Present

The L’AiR Arts Solo/Duo Residency at Atelier 11 is designed to provide artists and cultural professionals with the opportunity to carry out artistic projects, develop their research, workshop new ideas, and build their international network. The residency is self-curated, participants are expected to work and develop their artistic projects individually, and are invited to present the results of their residency in various event-based formats, supported by the L'AiR Arts team.

The purpose of the residency is to foster cross-cultural exchanges and collaborations between the local art ecosystem, including Paris-based artists, scholars, curators, art critics, institutions, and galleries, and international artists and cultural professionals. Residents will have the opportunity to connect with other visiting and local professionals, exchange their ideas and skills, and present  their work.
​
Atelier 11 residents are encouraged to make use of the multifunctional facilities of the Atelier 11 for living, work, meetings, presentations, exhibitions and informal gatherings. Depending on each project, the solo/duo residency at Atelier 11 can provide residents with the following resources: 

  • Furnished private living accommodations on-site (en-suite room with private bathroom) 
  • Fully equipped kitchen 
  • Communal studio workspace and meeting space (~40m2 / 430 sq feet)
  • Multimedia arts presentation space with projector and speakers (~30m2 / 320 sq feet)
  • Research library on modern and contemporary art
  • Participation in the facilitated professional development (visits, meetings, and other events and activities co-hosted with program partners)
  • Communications support through online exposure (website, e-news, social media)
  • One-year membership and invitation to participate in virtual residency projects and exhibitions
    .
Conveniently situated in the historic district of Montparnasse, Atelier 11 is in a walking distance from the main cultural and artistic sites of Paris. Visit this page for the potential research opportunities in vicinity of Atelier 11.

Residency duration

The solo/duo residency at Atelier 11 is from 2 weeks to 2 months. The duration and exact dates are flexible and can be coordinated on a case-by-case basis, depending on the project and availability.

Program Cost & Funding

L’AiR Arts aims to rebuild Atelier 11 as an affordable and inclusive space for research, exchange and creation open for artists from all over the world - just as it was initially established as an artist-led initiative more than a century ago.

It costs us approximately 150 euros per resident per day for accommodation, creative space and programming support. Thanks to our current supporters, we are able to offer a number of subsidized and funded residencies, as well as fellowships to cover travel and/or material and research stipend. In addition, we accept submissions from candidates who are funded by other institutions and supporters. The contributions help us to offset the costs of upkeep and preservation of the Atelier 11 historic residency, while also creating a nurturing and productive environment for the residents. 

Thus, we offer the following kinds of residency options: 

  • Funded residency (that may also include travel and/or research and material stipend)
  • Subsidized residency: 400 euro per week
  • Full cost residency: 1000 euro per week - for applicants who are able to raise their own funds or have already secured funding elsewhere to help us cover the costs.

Funded and subsidized residencies are limited and priority is given to candidates based in less economically developed parts of the world (Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Latin America and South East Asia). 

The selected candidates receive an invitation letter indicating the specific condition of their residency, which can be used for further funding search in their country of origin through national and/or international agencies. For more information, please see our Funding page. 

Application and Selection Process

L’AiR Arts International Residency Program at Atelier 11 mirrors the symbol for equality, = a horizontal exchange between artists and cultural professionals from various cultural backgrounds, of different ages and genders, working in various disciplines and at all stages of their professional careers.

Submissions from every country of the world are welcomed, but the intermediate level of English is required to be able to understand and interact with others.

Applications are reviewed by a panel of international and Paris-based arts professionals. Residencies are awarded upon examination of each application and within the limits of available places. In addition, residents can be nominated and invited by our program partners and guest curators. 

Apply & Join our Community Today! 

To apply please complete the online application form. 
Apply
Please consider a contribution towards L'AiR Arts Community Fund
During and after the course of my solo residency in France, L'AiR Arts provided me with continued mentorship, encouragement and support. In addition to offering space and time to work, the residency included numerous visits to cultural events. L’AiR Arts also arranged the opportunity to meet with local creatives and do a small presentation of my work in progress. The time with L'AiR Arts proved invaluable to me as it marked an important shift that ended up being very prominent in my production over the last two years. The tentative collage works that I started experimenting with in France eventually culminated in several large-scale paper sculptures, collage installations as well as collage based video works. It played a large role in the incubation and realization of the solo exhibitions in Cape Town (2017), Johannesburg (2018) and in London (2019)

- Barbara Wildenboer​, South Africa (Artist-in-Residence, 2016)
Copyright © 2022
  • About
    • Hosts
    • Partners
  • Atelier 11
  • Program
    • Apply
  • Residents
  • Events
  • News
  • Join
    • Support
  • Contact