Open call for the selection of a curatorial project at the contemporary art fair ARCOmadrid 2020

Open call for the selection of a curatorial project at the contemporary art fair ARCOmadrid 2020

    1. Object of the call
The Institut d'Estudis Baleàrics, together with the organizers of the international contemporary art fair ARCOmadrid 2020, launches an open call for the selection of a curatorial project for the booth of the Institut d'Estudis Baleàrics at ARCOmadrid 2020, held from February 26 to March 1, 2020, at IFEMA Feria de Madrid, Spain.

    2. Project description
The Institut d'Estudis Baleàrics (IEB) is an agency of the Government of the Balearic Islands, dedicated to the promotion of the language and culture of the Balearic Islands. Through its area of ​​culture, its strategic aims are the consolidation of the Balearic Islands as a structured cultural market and the promotion of the music, performing arts, literature and visual arts of the islands abroad.
In order to promote and give visibility to the the visual arts sector of the Balearic Islands, the IEB participates with an institutional booth at the ARCO Cultural Spaces area, featuring an exhibition project of one or more artists from the Balearic Islands.
The concept and the exhibition format of the project are free, covering any of the artistic practices related to the visual arts. The format can range from a “solo project” to a collective show (with up to 4 artists).
The selection of artists should take into account that the ARCOmadrid 2020 fair is one of the main contemporary art fairs of the international circuit. In order to spread and strengthen the recognition of the latest artistic trends, it pays special attention to works that best reflect their time and position in the world.
The artists selected must be from the Balearic Islands or residents of the archipelago.
The works included in the exhibition must be produced. A budget item is planned for the framing of the works.
The project must adapt to the dimensions of the booth of the IEB at the fair.
A small promotional brochure will be published , including a short curatorial text and information on the participating artist/s
The exhibition project sponsored by the IEB at the ARCOmadird 2020 fair is conceived as a promotional activity without commercial objective

 

3. Description of the booth
The booth of the IEB will measure 24 square meters. Located in the ARCO Cultural Spaces, the configuration will be 8 x 3 meters or 6 x 4 meters (to be determined by the fair).

       4. Budget and technical coordination
The budget for the exhibition project amoounts to € 25,000.00 (Annex I) and includes concepts such as booth rental; shipment; nail to nail insurance; fees for suppliers, professionals and artist/s; dissemination, framing and travel costs.
The final exhibition proposal will have to conform to the technical and budgetary specifications provided by the IEB. The IEB is responsible for the organization and management of the project, which includes contracting suppliers and budgetary control and supervision. The curator must coordinate with the IEB the correct and timely fulfillment of all the tasks stipulated for the project (see point 9, Curator tasks).
Should the curator not reside in the Balearic Islands, the IEB will cover the travel expenses (with a maximum stay of two days) of the curator to the islands in order to prepare the final exhibition proposal. Travel expenses will only include a round-trip ticket in economy class with origin in and destination to an airport of the European Union .

       5. Who may apply
This call is addressed to art curators with proven knowledge of the visual arts sector of the Balearic Islands, who have led relevant projects at fairs, festivals and contemporary art venues in Spain and other countries.
As ARCOmadrid 2020 is one of the main contemporary art fairs of the international circuit, candidates must have experience in curating projects and initiatives focused on the professionalization and international promotion of artists.
Candidates may submit proposals individually or collectively (in the latter case they must appoint a representative of the authors of the project).

6. Selection criteria of the project
The selection criteria will take into account:
    • The adaptation of the project to the conceptual framework of the ARCOmadrid 2020 fair and ARCO Cultural Spaces
    • The interest of the project in terms of innovation, originality and quality
    • The international promotion potential of the participating artist (s)
    • The adequacy of the professional profile of the curator
    • The technical and economic feasibility of the project

       7. Selection process of the project
The selection of the winning project corresponds to a selection panel designated by the fair, composed of Tiago de Abreu Pinto, curator and writer; Martí Manen, director of Index-Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden; and Imma Prieto, director of Es Baluard Museu d'Art Modern i Contemporani de Palma, Spain.
The jury's decision is final.

       8. Fees
The curator’s fees are stipulated at € 2,500.00 (including taxes) and envolve the completion of the tasks listed in point 9.
The fees do not include travel expenses of the curator to the fair, which will be covered by the IEB.
The payment of the fees will be made at the end of the edition of ARCOmadrid 2020.

       9. Curator’s tasks
The curator's tasks include:
    • Elaboration of the concept and the exhibition proposal
    • Selection of participating artists and works
    • Preparation of the list of art works, with indication of the technical details and all the relevant information for the contracting of suppliers
    • Preparation of the final project, agreed with the IEB in terms of technical and budgetary feasibility
    • Drafting of a curatorial text (maximum 350 words) and the artist's biographical note (s) for inclusion in the brochure that accompanies the exhibition and its use as dissemination material
    • Supervision of the design, layout and printing of the brochure
    • Booth assembly design
    • Exhibition assembly supervision
    • Assistance to the opening of the fair and availability for a two-day stay at the fair
    • Media attention
These tasks will be coordinated closely with the IEB regarding compliance with the proposed schedule (Annex II).

       10. Presentation of projects
Those interested in participating in this call must submit the following documentation:
    • Email with a short presentation
    • Scanned ID or passport
    • The project proposal in PDF file (identified with the name and surname of the curator), with a descriptive dossier and the proposal of the artist/s and the listed works (maximum 4 pages  not including photos). The full name and contact details of the curator must appear on the first page of the project. The proposal must be submitted in Spanish or English. The file must be presented in low resolution, attached to the email.
    • Professional career of the curator
    • Professional career of the participating artist (s)
Only one project proposal will be accepted per candidate.

       11. Deadline for applications
The deadline for applications ends on December 15, 2019, at 00.00 h.

       12. Project submission
The projects must be sent to the e-mail address of the IEB opencall@iebalearics.org, indicating in the message "Open call: Curated project for ARCOmadrid 2020". The IEB will confirm receipt.

       13. Resolution
The curator of the selected project will receive an email confirming its selection by the IEB (until December 23), to which the curator will have to respond by accepting the commission.
Once this process is resolved, the IEB will inform all participants of the final result by email and publish it on its web page.

More information
In case of questions or queries, please contact Karen Müller, visual arts project manager (IEB), at kmueller@iebalearics.org or 971 178 996.

 

Annex I

Budget prevision

Booth rental	10.000,00 €
Shipment	4.000,00 €
Nail to nail insurance	350,00 €
Vinyl	150,00 €
Curator’s fees	2.500,00 €
Artist/s  fees	2.500,00 €
Framing	1.000,00 €
Assembly and disassembly	1.500,00 €
Dissemination material	1.500,00 €
Travel, accomodation	1.500,00 €
Total	25.000,00 €