British Council announces winners of Arts Residency Grants Programme 2023-2024

Islamabad: The British Council announced the winners of its Arts Residency Grants Programme today. The Open Call for Arts Residency Grants was published in February 2023, and offered support on the design and delivery of innovative arts residencies across multiple art forms that provide early/mid-career artists from Pakistan with opportunities to: • research, produce and showcase new work

• widen the international context for their practice through learning and artistic exchange • build new relationships with creative practitioners, communities, and institutions • access new networks and audiences • explore future creative commissions and partnership projects

This is an opportunity to support emerging and transdisciplinary creative practices and to explore new ways of artistic alliance across Pakistan and the UK. The arts residencies are Pakistan-led and encourage partnerships across disciplines and organisations, including new models of exchange between art, research and other fields.

The five winning grants are:

1. Curators Residency by Vasl Artists Association and Gasworks
2. Joolay Lal: Crafting the Contemporary by Numaish-Karachi and THISS Studio
3. RePlay: Reveries of an Urban Dreamland by Institute of Business Management and Umbrellium
4. Handspun: Co-Creating Spindle Craft by Laajverd and Cockpit
5. New Narratives in Photography by Tasweerghar and GRAIN Projects

Laila Jamil, Director Arts, British Council Pakistan, said: “Residencies provide artists with valuable opportunities to be challenged and inspired by new surroundings, new connections and new ways of working, thus opening up exciting possibilities for their artistic practice. The five winning residencies will enable artists from Pakistan and the UK to collaborate and learn from each other through multiple mediums, ranging from craft to photography and curatorial practice. The British Council is proud to offer this support which will create greater visibility for the immensely talented artists working across multiple art forms and build stronger connections between both countries.”

Maarya Rehman, Deputy Director, British Council Pakistan, said: “At the British Council we connect and help artists and cultural professionals to realise their potential, particularly through our work to promote diversity, inclusion and enterprise. My congratulations to the winning grantees and I look forward to seeing the work being enjoyed by audiences in Pakistan and the UK.”