Aveiro invites two artists from the CreArt Network to create an urban artwork as part of Festival dos Canais program, between 7th and 20st July, curated by João Fino.

The works will be displayed along the public space, focused in the surroundings of the water canals and the Ecomuseum Marinha da Troncalhada. The Ecomuseum is a saltpan still producing salt under the artisanall and ancient methods.

To the participants will be offered all conditions to present their work.

Festival dos Canais is a multidisciplinary event that offers a large program of activities from visual to performative arts, that aims to bring arts to the public space and make the city an enormous stage, able to attack all kinds of audiences.

Artists accepted

Aveiro will receive two [2] visual artists of younger generation.

During the staying in Aveiro, the artists will have a diversified cultural program, which will aim to widen their knowledge about the region and Festival dos Canais in collaboration with professionals.

To the participants will be offered all conditions to get inspired by the Aveiro region and the projects will be developed under the topic of different elements of the territory specificities and the local identity such as the lagoon, the water canals, the Art Nouveau heritage, the salt production, or the Aveiro’ historic neighborhoods.

The final works created will be presented in the public space, between 16th and 20th July.

Who can apply?

The call is open to local artists of younger generation – born or resident – in any of the cities taking part in the CreArt | Network of Cities for Artistic Creation: Artkomas, Kaunas [Lithuania]; Aveiro [Portugal]; Valladolid [Spain]; České Budějovice [Czech Republic]; Clermont-Ferrand and Rouen [France]; HDLU [Zagreb, Croatia]; Lublin [Poland]; Liepaja [Latvia]]; Lviv Artistic Council “Dialogue” [Ukraine]; Oulu [Finland]; Regensburg [Germany]; Skopje [North Macedonia], and Venezia [Italy].

Conditions and stipend

Aveiro will provide an artistic director to guide the artists, as well as to introduce them in the local artist’s community.

The organization will pay a grant of 2.500€ to each artist for travelling, subsistence and production costs.

The artists must have a European health card or equivalent.

Accommodation will be provided by the organization in the city center of Aveiro.

The two selected artists will develop their proposals with a curatorial assistance before starting the residency to define, mature and adequate the projects.

The works will be created in the city center of Aveiro, near the water canals and the Ecomuseum Marinha da Troncalhada.

Are you interested?

Requirements:

ID or passport (scanned copy);

A short version of your resume/CV [one A4]

Documentation material recent and related to the project, with technical specifications [maximum e examples of representative artworks, 5 pages and 5 pictures. links can be included];

A short written project proposal [one A4].This document should also contain a list of technical needs and other relevant technical details, which can help the organization to understand the project.

Artists need to register on the CreArt website and upload their portfolio.

Only applications with complete information will be accepted. The applications must be submitted before February 28th, 2024. Aveiro will inform of the results until March 10th. The shortlist will be published in the CreArt website.

If you have any problem to complete the application form please send the portfolio in PDF to creart@fmcva.org  

The participation in this call implies the acceptance of these bases, and the artists selected should include a reference of in all their future communications that have been selected to participate in the CreArt 3.0 | Artists in public space – project co-funded by the European Union – Creative Europe program.

The curator

João Fino. Born in Aveiro in 1976. Painter and illustrator. Director.

He currently resides between Portugal and The Netherlands.

He has been on stage since he was six years old. Graduated in performing arts and stage direction from the Contemporary Academy of Spectacle, in Porto. From there, he began a 25-year career as a director, teacher, musician and actor in theater and cinema, where he won several national and international awards.

He has more than 50 plays in his curriculum. He directed, for 5 years, theater courses and all the stagings of Gretua, at the University of Aveiro, where he also won 3 Theater awards in Portugal and Spain.

He taught in several private and public schools.

In 2012, he left Portugal for the USA. Dedicating himself exclusively to painting and illustration, he exhibits regularly in cities such as Charlotte, New York or Chicago. He has paintings of his in several collections in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia. 3 years after this journey, he left to Amsterdam.

During the decade he lived in Amsterdam, he taught theater and painting in local associations and communities. In parallel he expanded his curriculum in the visual arts with the design of scenarios and theatrical props, collective and individual exhibitions of Illustration and painting, created illustrations for dozens of album covers and books.

Currently, along with his career as a painter and illustrator, he is responsible for all theatre training, staging and drawing and painting workshops for the company Ofícios com História, working with the most diverse communities in Portugal.

About Aveiro

Located in the center of Portugal [halfway of Porto and Coimbra], by the sea, Aveiro is one of the major cities of the country. Nowadays its relevance and increasing number of inhabitants comes from the presence of the University [founded in 1973] and from the industries and companies operating in the technological areas, as well as from the improvement of the harbour facilities, seen as an important gateway to Europe and a strategic point to international trade.

Aveiro is also placed by the central national railway which contributes to the easy traveling to everywhere in the country. All types of services are available and there are several sports and cultural facilities to serve the population and the visitors. Museums, a municipal theater, a congress center and a large number of culture associations and culture agents [CCI] create the pleasant and dynamic cultural atmosphere of the city, highlighted by the Festival dos Canais and the International Biennial of Artistic Ceramics [since 1989]. Encompassing the cultural dynamics, Aveiro has been the first Portuguese Capital of Culture, in 2024.

The lagoon and the canals provide more than a peculiar landscape. The water shapes Aveiro’s urban space and define the community collective memory and heritage.

A city full of history, of several former monasteries, baroque churches, Art Nouveau facades, colored tile panels. With a long tradition in ceramics, fishing [including the famous codfish] and salt production, Aveiro is also known by the 15th century Portuguese princess Joana who chose to live, became nun and is buried in Aveiro [her tomb is a masterpiece of Portuguese baroque]. Blessed since 1693 and motive of deep religious devotion of the community she is the saint patron of Aveiro. Side by side with the city’ long history, is the university campus, a complete catalogue of the Portuguese contemporary architecture design by renowned architects such as the Pritzker’s awarded Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto Moura.

The weather conditions are pleasant, on both summer and winter, and the brightness provided by the large lagoon and the ocean brings a special glow to the city and the buildings colors.

The beaches around Aveiro [Barra, Costa Nova and São Jacinto] are a main holiday center for people from center Portugal and Spain [Salamanca, Valladolid, Ciudad Rodrigo]. Barra’ beach is also a significant spots for surfing all entire year. Besides that, the lagoon [European protected area – Natura 2000 network] attracts a large number of visitors and researchers to appreciate and study the landscape and the biodiversity [mainly the birds]. The saltpans still producing according to artisanal methods are one of the major local touristic attractions. Art Nouveau heritage is a significant cultural attraction too [Aveiro takes part of the Art Nouveau European Cultural Route and become the president of the network for the next 3 years], side by side with the moliceiro’ boats and the street art produced by local and renown national artists.

Within the project:

Partners:

Co-funded by:

Co-funded by the European Union – CREA-CULT-2023-COOP. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them. [Project number: 101128499]

Project is co-financed by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.

The views expressed in this announcement are the sole responsibility of HDLU and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.