The Institute for Postnatural Studies (IPS) announces GASP: Global African Situated Practices, a six-week artistic research residency in Madrid, Spain for one individual based in any of the 54 African states. The residency supports interdisciplinary and socially engaged practices at the intersection of art, ecology, and research. IPS has appointed LuCAC – Lusaka Contemporary Art Centre, Zambia as the guest jury of experts reviewing the applications.

GASP functions both as an acronym and a metaphor: a gasp for breath and a gasp of astonishment—responding to the suffocation and shocks brought about by ecological crisis and its transformations. It asks:

What lessons about climatic survival may we derive from the territories we participate in?

And with that, HOW MAY THE WORLD BREATHE AGAIN?

Based in Madrid, this residency will serve as a dynamic hub of exchange connecting the selected resident with artists, researchers, and practitioners in Spain, the broader Mediterranean region, and Latin America.

Who Can Apply

All individuals are welcomed whose practice is deeply connected to their local context in the African continent, working in fields including:

• Visual arts
• Research and education in the arts, culture, or humanities
• Curation and cultural programming
• Archiving and library practices
• Community leadership in socially engaged art
• Collectives and duos are not eligible to apply.

Applicants may propose new or ongoing multidisciplinary projects that engage with climate-related issues (e.g. heat, drought, eco-territorial concerns) and work meaningfully within specific communities, geographies, or sociopolitical contexts in the African continent.

What the Residency Offers

• Accommodation at IPS (private room, bathroom, kitchen, lounge, and shared workspaces)
• Studio space shared with IPS team
• Curatorial mentorship and one-on-one guidance
• Public presentation of the project (format co-designed with IPS)
• Access to local networks of artists, curators, and cultural platforms
• Visits to institutions and independent spaces in Madrid
• Supporting documents for visa application process, including letter of invitation
• IPS cannot guarantee the successful processing of a Schengen visa but can recommend how to navigate the process in general terms

Financial Support

• 3,000 Euros artist honorarium grant – to be paid in two installments – the resident will be asked to generate an invoice documenting each payment
• 2,000 Euros joint travel and production budget – whose direct purchases (example: flight tickets) will be administered by IPS

Applications are accepted in*:

• English
• Spanish
• French
• Portuguese
  *IPS recognizes that these languages are merely lingua franca present in different regions of the continent. Applicants may also include supporting materials in their mother tongue/local language, with brief translations or contextual summaries for the jury to grasp a sense of what the projects are about.

How to Apply
Applications open 22 April 2025. Submit your application by 31 May 2025 at 23:59 CET through the online form:

• GASP – Form in English
• GASP – Formulario en español
• GASP – Formulaire en français
• GASP – Formulário em português

Shortlisted applicants will be contacted on June 10, 2025 to schedule a brief interview with the selection committee. Final selection will be made by June 20, 2025

If you have any questions, please get in touch at info@instituteforpostnaturalstudies.org

Resident’s Commitments

• Weekly check-ins with the IPS team
• Site visits and local engagement with actors the Madrid contemporary art scene
• Group critique sessions with colleagues in the city
• Contribution to a final public program
• Creation of a multimedia archive of their residency experience

instituteforpostnaturalstudies.org