What is SAHA Studio?
Designed by SAHA Association, SAHA Studio is a multifaceted program that facilitates research and production for artists and curators working in the field of visual arts. SAHA Studio offers its participants a personal workspace, stipend, and production budget, as well as curatorial feedback, production support, learning and networking opportunities. Mentored by the members of the Selection Committee throughout their term, artists develop their professional networks with guest curators who are invited from abroad to the SAHA Curatorial Program for shorter terms. Artists, who receive feedback from art professionals and the general audience at the meetings organized in the middle of the term, complete their programs by presenting their new works and addressing their research processes at the SAHA Open Studio events held at the end of the term.
Why open call?
From its launch in 2019 to the end of its 7th term in the summer of 2024, SAHA Studio has hosted artists invited by an annually-changing Selection Committee, who made their decisions from among the artists nominated by SAHA’s collaborators, independent curators, and the program alumni. For its 8th term, which is to run from June to December 2024, the program adopts the open call modality for the first time in order to receive applications from a wider group of artists seeking support for their research and production inquiries. As such, SAHA Studio aims to provide the selected artists a prospect for tailor-made schemes for interaction and feedback on their proposed projects, thus assisting them to manage the residency period more efficiently.
Who can apply for the open call?
Any artist working in the field of visual arts, aiming to advance their career through the opportunities and connections offered by the program, and seeking support for a specific project indicated within their application can apply to the open call. There are no age, theme, or material restrictions.
How can I apply? What are the required documents?
The application form and the documents should be combined in the following order as a PDF and submitted as a single file of max. 3 MB to sahastudio@saha.org.tr with the subject line "SAHA Studio 8 - Application". Emails sent after the application period, between 1-21 April 2024, will not be taken into consideration. The deadline is 21 April 2024, 6 pm (GMT+3).
Required documents:
Application form
Project proposal (max. 500 words)
Draft budget
CV/Resume
Portfolio
Catalog scans or review copies (if available)
What are the project proposal and draft budget?
The project proposal is a project summary of no more than 500 words detailing the topic that will be studied during SAHA Studio's 6-month program, its conceptual framework, and its presentation. Conversely, the draft budget is a summary showing the planned expense breakdowns of the Research Support, which includes a stipend of 45,000 TL, and the Production Support, which amounts to a maximum of 120,000 TL. In the draft budget, it is recommended that artists include expenses for the contributors they may invite to the final event they will organize during the SAHA Studio Open days, as well as the shipment of their items from the SAHA Studio space.
Can artist duos or collectives apply to SAHA Studio?
Artist duos or collectives can apply to SAHA Studio, but the costs of Research and Production Support are shared between the applicants; no additional budget is provided.
What are the criteria for the evaluations?
Attention would be paid to the artists’ potential to develop their practices in a persistent way; their objective to realize respective projects they intended but could not do so; thereby their need for a studio space that allows research and production; their propensity to benefit from a collective process through participation at events organized by the program, and their willingness to contribute to the interaction amongst residents.
What does the open call process entail? When and how will applicants receive the results?
The pre-jury process of the valid applications collected via e-mail in response to the open call is carried out by a group of 7 people, consisting of one artist from each previous seven terms of SAHA Studio. The Selection Committee, which evaluates the remaining applications and creates a shortlist, conducts individual interviews with the shortlisted artists at the end of May to determine the five artists who will be selected for the new term.
The artists of the new term are announced to the public in early June after all applicants are notified via e-mail.
Who evaluates the applications?
The pre-jury process of the applications for the June-December 2024 term is carried out in collaboration with the alumni of the program, namely Larissa Araz, Kerem Ozan Bayraktar, Ege Kanar, İz Öztat, Burcu Yağcıoğlu, Burak Delier and Gizem Karakaş. The subsequent evaluation is conducted by the Selection Committee consisting of artist Taner Ceylan, independent curator Eda Berkmen and SAHA Interim Director Serra Yentürk.
What is expected from the selected participants during the program?
Artists who are to participate in the program are expected to use the workshop space on a regular weekly basis and attend the monthly group meetings; to sustain an interactive dialogue with fellow residents; to partake in program events, particularly the mid-term gathering and SAHA Studio Open, as well as other networking events hosting guests from Türkiye or abroad unless there is a justifiable reason; to communicate with the SAHA Studio team for the follow-up of their projects and budgets at specified intervals; and to be open to networking, growth and interaction with curators, writers and other invitees involved in the program during the term. It is imperative to avoid any conduct violating the neatness, orderliness, or security of the program space, and that the rules for the mutual use of premises are observed.
Although SAHA Studio provides the necessary incentives and support for the completion of new artworks, the projects proposed during the application process do not have to be completed within the program period. SAHA Studio also aspires to act as an open-ended facilitator for its resident artists in the production of their intended works. The aim is to increase the participant’s research, production, and interaction opportunities during this process.
SAHA Studio envisions that all its participants acknowledge the same principles of goodwill and cooperation without compromising on religion, language, race, or sexual orientation. Otherwise, the residency of those violating the aforementioned rules and principles are terminated.
What are the general characteristics of the program space and the dimensions of the individual studio spaces given to the artists?
SAHA Studio consists of 4 repurposed shops located in the 5th and 6th blocks of İMÇ:
The office space at no. 5538 includes the SAHA team's workspace, SAHA Studio library, meeting-event space, restrooms, and the main kitchen area. Remodeled by merging two shops, No. 5560 has the individual studios of artists that measure approximately 16 m2 each, which can be sectioned off with curtains, in addition to a kitchenette and a common resting area. This space overlooking the Atatürk Boulevard receives natural daylight and has a ceiling height of 2.75 meters and a ceramic floor. Located at the end of the connection corridor to the 6th Block and featuring a storage area as well as a toilet and kitchen, No. 6530 serves as a technical workshop where artists can engage in different productions such as ceramics, wood, and sound recording.
The spaces on the upper floors of İMÇ are accessed by stairs; although the blocks have freight elevators, the building is not wheelchair accessible due to the stairs connecting the intermediate level landings. Those requiring accessibility are kindly requested to detail their needs in their applications.
Are there any tools, equipment and/or materials provided by the program?
Equipment in the program inventory including a desktop computer with editing and proofreading software, screens, tablets, projectors, a 3D printer, cameras, a non- flickering video light, a ceramic kiln, a bench saw, a sewing machine, and various hand tools are loaned to artists for production and exhibition, based on their availability. However, the supply of project-specific equipment or materials are participants’ responsibility, within the scope of their provided production budget.
Can artists from outside Istanbul apply to the program? What opportunities are offered to artists from different cities?
SAHA Studio accepts applications from outside Istanbul as per its mission for offering its program and opportunities to artists from different cities. As such, the program aims to host two artists from different cities, who would be offered shared flat in Istanbul, coupled with a two-way transportation from their city to Istanbul. In case the applicants from outside of Istanbul have their own accommodation in Istanbul, the number of artists from different cities can exceed two. Likewise, if there is only one artist invited from another city than Istanbul, than the flat may be shared with guest curators who visit the city for shorter periods upon SAHA’s invitation.
Can the partners, children, dependents, or pets of artists from outside Istanbul be accommodated?
Since the apartments offered to SAHA Studio artists are shared space, it is essential that both artists can stay comfortably. If agreed upon, the artist can host their partner, child, or pet in their own room, but SAHA is not responsible for the transportation and living expenses of their companions, except for the artist themselves.
What is recommended for those who are not accepted for the term they applied for?
Due to the quota of the program, SAHA Studio’s 8th term between June-December 2024 will be able to accept only 5 artists among the applications it will receive from its first the open call. In other words, since it’s possible to respond positively only to a small number of applicants, we advise and encourage the artists to reapply in the following terms. The same applies to artists who are accepted for the semester but cannot attend for personal reasons.
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