Maraya art residency programme is accepting submissions again

Organisers say the annual scheme offers a great opportunity for international artists to work and live in the UAE.

The application process for the annual Maraya Residency Programme is now open. Hosted and organised by Maraya Art Centre, a visual arts hub in Sharjah, the programme offers three emerging and midcareer contemporary artists and designers the chance to live and work in the UAE. It also gives UAE-based artists the opportunity to travel abroad.

Ranging between one to three months, the aim of the residency is for artists to work with each other to boost their practice, as well as with international organisations to give their art an elevated platform. In the past two years, the programme has welcomed artists from the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Italy and the Arabian Gulf, and also partnered with the Macedonian Museum of Greece and the Biennale Yogyakarta in Indonesia.

Giuseppe Moscatello, the manager of Maraya Art Centre, says the residency programme is an amazing chance to travel to the UAE. “Here, the artists can experience new geographies, practices and working environments, gain exposure to a range of experiences and work with some of the most talented established contemporary artists and curators currently active in the world.

“We are looking forward to once again welcoming a select group of talented young individuals to Sharjah, and to giving UAE-based artists the chance to expand their horizons abroad.”

UAE-based artists interested in applying must be 21 or over and have had either one solo show or participated in two group shows in the past three years

Maraya Art Centre was established in 2010 and is a three-storey, non-profit creative space located in Sharjah. It is home to a gallery, the Barjeel Art Foundation and a community centre. It also has several public-art park sites within its local vicinity that feature interactive projects and sculptures.

For more information visit www.maraya.ae