RESONANCE

With our partner French Embassy in Nigeria

With our partner ART X Lagos

Presentation

The Cité internationale des arts in Paris, in partnership with ART X Lagos and the Embassy of France in Nigeria, have co-constructed RESONANCE, an annual residency programme for visual artists, designers and curators based in Nigeria.

Initiated in 2020 by both Cité internationale des arts and the Embassy of France in Nigeria, the aim of this programme is to facilitate mobility and to support research, as well the expansion of the professional network of actors of the Nigerian art scene.

From this year onwards, in partnership with the major international fair ART X Lagos, the programme will be open to visual artists, curators and designers living in Nigeria, with the possibility to develop further collaborations with ART X Lagos in the future.

During the three-month residency, the three laureates will be in dialogue with professional practitioners from their fields, based in France, and benefit from professional networking as well as financial support.

The residencies

Residents will benefit from:

Dedicated support and dialogue on artistic or curatorial practices for curators and visual artists with a France-based curator. For designers, they would receive dedicated support and dialogue with the agency, Trampoline;
Visits and networking opportunities organized by the Cité internationale des arts;
A live-in-studio on the Marais site of the Cité internationale des arts;
A monthly living allowance;
Travel fees to and from Paris covered;
Possibility to collaborate with ART X Lagos on upcoming editions.

Closed

Calendar

Forwarding of applications:

From 03 July to 03 August 2025

Announcement of results:

Septembre 2025

Critères d’admissibilité et de sélection

The programme is open to:

Curators

who live and work in Nigeria;
who are aged over 23 on January 1st of 2025;
who can provide evidence of at least 5 years of experience in curatorial practices (minimum of two exhibitions curated and two publications in referenced art media);
who can fully commit during the residency period to the development of their research project with the mentor, and to connecting with the environment.

Artists

of all disciplines within the field of visual arts (plastic arts, digital arts, photography, performance):
who live and work in Nigeria;
who are aged over 23 on January 1st of 2025;
who can provide a portfolio demonstrating at least 5 years of experience in artistic practice;
who can fully commit during the residency period to the development of their research project with the mentor, and to connecting with the environment.

Designers

of all disiciplines (mobilier, objet, produit, architecture)
who live and work in Nigeria;
who are aged over 23 on January 1st of 2025;
who can demonstrate a commitment to the practice as a professional and/or a researcher of at least 5 years of documented experience;
who can fully commit during the residency period to the development of their research project with the mentor, and to connecting with the Cité’s environment.

All candidates should be in possession of a valid passport and able to travel abroad and fully commit to the residency at the dedicated period of time.

Questions diverses

How to apply?

Applications must be submitted via the application form, which needs to be filled out before August 3, 2025

Required documents:

A file presenting one or more recent projects representative of your work (5 to 20 pages)
A resume presenting your academic and professional background, your contact information, including your postal address (maximum 4 pages
A statement explaining the research angles that you want to develop during your art residency (maximum 2 pages)
A residency brief with a list of artists, experts or cultural institutions with whom you wish to collaborate (maximum 1 page)
One of the following files: a text (1 page), video (3 min) explaining your curatorial, design or artistic approach OR a video link representative of your work OR a letter of recommendation supporting your curatorial, design or artistic project at Cité Internationale des Arts.

The selection committee

The applications will be examined by a jury composed of

Ms Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, Founder & Director of ART X Lagos
M. Papa Omotayo, Member of ART X Lagos Board, Architect
Ms. Bénédicte Alliot, Director of the Cité internationale des Arts
Ms. Souraya Kessaria, Residency Programmes and Partnerships Manager, Cité internationale des Arts
Ms. Emmanuelle Harang, Cultural Attaché, Embassy of France in Nigeria
Ms. Lucille Haddad, Deputy Director of the Embassy of France in Nigeria

In addition to assessing the professional background, the members of the jury will pay particular attention to the:

quality of the applicant’s residency research project;
applicant’s ability to identify their needs and goals for this residency, as well as their interest in connecting with a designated curator based in France;
applicant’s experience and background in the field;
applicant’s past and current works, and the presentation document’s clarity and design;
anticipated working schedule and protocol, and the goals during the three-month residency, paired with the contacts or partnerships already established with a view to developing a residency project;
applicant’s professional connections in France or those they have identified and wish to develop.

The residency conditions

With a surface area ranging from 25 to 40m2, the live-in studios are organized for research and daily life. They consist of a working space, a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom space. A live-in studio can accommodate up to two adults and a child up to 7 years old.

Unfortunately, the proposed residency conditions do not meet the current standards of accessibility for people with disabilities, and we are working on this for the future.

For any request concerning the accessibility of the spaces of the Cité internationale des arts, we are at your disposal.

Terms and conditions (EN)