Artistes en Residence is an organization which aims to support visual artists by offering studio facilities, establishing international connections, and encouraging international mobility. The organization encourages artists to experiment with their work during the program, while they provide studios and living facilities. The organization has several international partners, including The Living Art Museum. The Cross Residency Program, in Reykjavík and Clermont Ferrand, comes together with the cooperation of Artistes en Residence, The Living Art Museum, the French Embassy, Alliance Française Reykjavík, and The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists (SÍM). Included in the program is a stipend for daily costs.

Visual artist, Nína Óskarsdóttir, took part in the Cross Residency program this June in Clermont-Ferrand, France. She was selected by the program partners following an Open Call in 2020. During the stay Nína got to experiment with new ceramic techniques, explore the city’s possibilities, and had meetings with relevant professionals. We talked with Nína about her experience. 

What expectations did you have for the residency program, and what was expected of you?

“I didn’t have any set expectations. I applied for the Open Call since I had just finished my master’s degree, so it was a convenient time to apply for things. I was very surprised when Nýló called me and told me that they had chosen me for the Cross Residency program. There were no expectations for us because you could do whatever you wanted. I already had a research in mind before going and as soon as I arrived, everything in that research completely changed. I now had the opportunity to go to a lot of places and meet relevant people.”

What kind of facilities were provided for you?

“The residency told us beforehand what kind of facilities they could provide. They had a space with the apartment on the top floor, and the basement with the studios. The studio was a white room with one table, one chair and one window. The hosts were available for the entire period, and if I needed anything I could always ask and they would assist me.”

Nína further explains that the residency in Clermont-Ferrand is moving into new studios with more facilities in the future.

During your stay you started working with new techniques, can you elaborate on that?

“I have been working a lot with ceramics, but I didn’t plan to do that while I was there, since it is difficult to transport, and they didn’t have the facilities for it. But towards the end, I started working with ceramics and book works, and I morphed them into one. The result turned out to be ceramic pieces that became the pages in the book.”

She further notes: “I did the inscription in English there, but I want to work with the same technique and translate it into Icelandic here.”

Overall, was it a rewarding experience? 

“Yes, absolutely. It worked out well. Everything was easy, and they set me up for meetings with all the relevant people. I was able to do everything that I wanted to do. Clermont-Ferrand is a small city, so it is easy to get favors. Nothing is too official – kind of like here.”

At the end of the Cross Residency program the artists held an open studio, where Nína exhibited her new piece In Search of Sacred Water, which contained her series of ceramic pieces and a book work. French artist, Hélène Hulak, is currently taking part in the Cross Residency program here in Reykjavík. After spending six weeks in Reykjavík, she will be exhibiting her work at SÍM Gallery this Monday September 27.

Next year’s artist based in Iceland to go on the Cross Residency in Clermont-Ferrand will be announced soon.