Residencies

•  Residency Alumni
•  How to Apply for  Residency
•  David Koloane  Residency Award

Residency Alumni

‘It was wonderful! I was so impressed. I met so many wonderful people. I miss them terribly and want to live in Africa, move to Africa. I’m totally in love with Africa.’ Nadia Zubareva, Russia, 2005

‘I knew about the Bag Factory residency programme through my Korean friend, Hwan Cheon Yong, who was at there in 2005. When I visited Hwan Cheon, he introduced me to the Bag Factory community, which inspired me to apply for the residency as well… In South Africa, I have produced a number of paintings and ceramic sculptures under the theme of ‘Secrecy of Shelters’. This subject explores the invisible activity of our daily lives and the shelters that contain all our secrets. The paintings display door and window openings and empty dark spaces, which contain the mystery of our lives. My current subject focuses on crowds of people.’ Petros Gehebriwot, Eritrea, 2006

‘As an artist whose interest is bound up in the formation/regeneration/growth of cities, Johannesburg is a fascinating place, and I feel privileged that I was able to spend two months exploring what to me is such an intriguing city. What made for such a positive experience was all of the people that I met during my brief stay. Without exception, people were warm, friendly and incredibly generous with their time and knowledge, all of which enabled me to make the most of what was a shorter than average residency, with the work produced eliciting a very positive response at the exhibition.’ Stuart Whipps, United Kingdom, 2007

‘I have met the most interesting people, saw great artwork, had a lot of fun, and worked my ass off. It seems to have been a kind of time compression, where you seem to have spent six months over a period of two. I feel Johannesburg as a second home now and feel that both me and my partner have established so many contacts here that we will for sure be back to work some more. All my respect goes out to the artists at the Bag Factory who showed me what SA is and was. I was very surprised with the quality of the work here and with the history and charms of most of it.’ Ives Maes, Belgium, 2006

‘Johannesburg is a big city in comparison to my home city of Lusaka. In the first week alone, I attended several art exhibitions – at the Alliance Francaise and the Goethe Institute… Later there were others at Franchise, Gallery Momo, Johannesburg Art Gallery and Warren Siebrits. I was privileged to meet a number of influential people such as magazine editors, film producers, photographers, writers, poets, actors and gallery owners. I attended book launches at Exclusive Books, an economic debate at Constitution Hill and music concerts at [Mary Fitzgerald] Square, the Colour Bar, Shivava, Horror Café and the Market Theatre.’ Zenzele Chulu, Zambia, 2005

Share This: