The Mondriaan Fund collaborates with the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in São Paulo to offer the Voucher grant to enable artists to attend the preview days of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo. The Voucher Bienal de São Paulo grant is for visual artists with a professional practice of at least one year. The grant is intended to boost the international standing of visual artists from the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands by strengthening their presence at significant international events.
About the 35th Bienal de São Paulo
With the title of ‘choreographies of the impossible’, for its 35th edition, the Bienal de São Paulo has been appointed to a curatorial team. The team writes; ‘As a curatorial proposal, ‘choreographies of the impossible’ enunciates a space of experimentation – open to the dances of the unimaginable – that embodies movements capable of transforming what is apparently non-existent into existent. This idea of a choreography is based on the enigmatic nature of the artistic fact and, thus, on everything that is neither worn out nor evident, but rather on what can be named as secret, mystery or as the infinite itself’. This is an extract from a curatorial text signed by the collective of curators for the 35th Bienal de São Paulo, consisting of Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes and Manuel Borja-Villel. The full text is available here.
For whom?
Visual artists from the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with a professional practice of at least one year. Every effort will be made to include a diverse blend of ages, backgrounds, genders and disciplines in the selection.
For what?
The grant is intended to boost the international standing of visual artists from the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands by stimulating their presence at significant international events. The Mondriaan Fund offers the grant to help visual artists become better acquainted with the international art world, to expand their own international network and to help them raise their international profile.
How much?
The grant consists of a ticket to the preview and opening of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo and accommodation at a hotel during the visit from 1 to 7 September 2023. The Mondriaan Fund also covers the travel expenses to and from São Paulo, up to a maximum of € 1,300 per person.
There are 20 tickets available to the preview program with courtesy of the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo.
How and when to apply?
Visual artists can submit an application via the website until 17.00 PM (CET) / 12.00 AM (AST) on 20 March 2023. We require a CV and motivation letter.
You will require an account in order to submit an application, and if required, can apply for a new account online. The selected artists will be informed in the end of April.
Conditions
- You have been working as a professional artist for at least one year.
- You are active as an artist and part of the professional visual arts field in the Netherlands and/or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
- You are in São Paulo from 1 to 7 September 2023. You attend the activities organised by the Mondriaan Fund and the meetup organised by the Dutch embassy.
- Following the trip, you draft a written evaluation of your visit to the 35th Bienal de São Paulo.
- From 1 to 7 September 2023, you stay at the hotel booked for you by the Mondriaan Fund.
Assessment
The artist’s CV, motivation and website (if a website is not available, an alternative such as e.g. Instagram) are used to assess the quality of the artist’s practice, their international potential and the relevance and urgency of potential participation.
Based on your CV, motivation and website (if a website is not available, an alternative such as e.g. Instagram), Mondriaan Fund staff create a shortlist for the committee that advises on awarding the grant. The committee has access to the complete list and can also take artists on the longlist into consideration. The advisory committee also assesses your application based on your CV, motivation and website (or alternative). The committee is responsible for making the final selection. The selected artists will be informed in the end of April.
For the selected artists, an information meeting will be organised on Friday 12 May at the Mondriaan Fund.
Visual artists applying for the grant must at least address the following aspects in their motivation letter:
- A motivation outlining why they would like to attend the 35th Bienal de São Paulo.
- The visit to the 35th Bienal de São Paulo is primarily intended to help you boost your international network. Indicate how this visit contributes to the internationalisation of your practice and the expansion of your international network.
- It should be evident from your motivation why this visit is relevant for your network and your professional development.
- It should be evident from your motivation that you have an open and active attitude regarding expanding your own international network.
- The visit to the 35th Bienal de São Paulo is primarily intended to help you boost your international network. Indicate how this visit contributes to the internationalisation of your practice and the expansion of your international network.
Checklist
In order to process your application, the Mondriaan Fund requires various information: details that you can enter in the application form and documents that you can upload. Below is a checklist outlining all of the required information, following the layout of the application form. Tip: gather all of the required information before you start completing the online application form. Appendices can be uploaded as PDFs. Ensure you do not exceed the stated maximum number of pages or characters.
Tip: collect all your information before you start filling out the online application form. The attachments can be uploaded as PDFs. Important: wherever a maximum number of pages is given, do not exceed that number of pages! Additional pages will be ignored.
Checklist
Motivation (max. 1 page)
Explain why attending the professional preview and opening of the 35th Bienal De São Paulo will be beneficial to you. Indicate how this visit can contribute to the internationalisation of your practice and the expansion of your international network. The visit to the biennale is primarily intended to help you strengthen your international network. It is important that your motivation makes clear how this visit is relevant for you and your professional development.
CV (max. 2 pages)
Upload the most important information about your professional practice, with an emphasis on the last one to four years. Consider, for example, exhibitions (indicate whether it was a solo or group exhibition), events, commissions, awards, publications, sales (including years). Also mention any ancillary activities, such as teaching, consulting and committee positions.
If applicable:
Extract from the Personal Records Database (BRP)
If you do not have the Dutch nationality, please enclose a recent extract (no longer than three months old) from the Personal Records Database (BRP) with your application.
Bank details and/or Chamber of Commerce extract
We require your bank details in order to transfer the contribution, if granted. If you have applied for funding from the Mondriaan Fund in the past, we may already have this information.
- If you have a new bank account number, or if the Mondriaan Fund does not have your bank account number on file, please upload a recent bank statement that clearly shows your name and IBAN.
- If you have a corporate bank account for your own business, please upload a recent extract from the Chamber of Commerce or comparable international organisation (no longer than three months old), so that we can confirm that the bank account is linked to a sole proprietorship.
Diploma/deregistration or Chamber of Commerce extract
If you have been professionally active for less than three years, we require a copy of the diplomas from any completed art courses, or in the case that did not complete the course, confirmation of deregistration from the academy. If you have not attended art school, you can submit a recent extract from the Chamber of Commerce or comparable international organisation (no longer than three months old), so that we can confirm that you are registered as a visual artist.