We are delighted to be leading a Europe wide project called In From The Margins in collaboration with four other arts organisations in Europe. Each organisation will provide dedicated residencies for migrant artists. Six dedicated residencies will take place at Edinburgh Printmakers starting on 3rd May with the final residency finishing on the 2nd December. Developing the Studios of Sanctuary model, these residencies are designed to give opportunities to refugees and asylum-seeking artists and/or artists affected by forced migration, bringing such artists into mainstream programming.
In total 30 artists will take up residencies across all venues in 2022 and the results will be exhibited culminating in a group show at Edinburgh Printmakers in Spring 2023. This Creative Europe funded project connects Edinburgh Printmakers with Cork Printmakers in Ireland, AGA LAB in Amsterdam, Funen Printmaking Studio in Odense, Denmark, and International Centre of Graphic Arts in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The selected artists will have the opportunity to work in a print medium of their choice and will be supported to develop their practice over a month-long residency.
Artist Aqsa Arif said, “I am delighted to be selected for this residency because of its unique aim to support and empower artists who have experienced displacement. Having moved to Scotland as a refugee aged five this displacement has been the largest source of psychological conflict in my life. I experienced life with the split of two cultural identities and this duality of belonging is a theme I explore in my own art practice. I’m looking forward to developing those ideas and learning new printmaking skills to integrate into my work. The supportive creative environment provided by this residency will allow me to directly engage with these issues and express my own experiences from a more vulnerable and conscious place.”
Artist Mousa AlNana said, “I’m excited to have the opportunity to experiment in the studio, develop my network and work alongside Edinburgh Printmakers members. In particular I’m looking forward to showing the world a different side of the refugee experience and tackling the stigma around refugees. I hope too that this residency will act as inspiration for other displaced artists working in Scotland today.”
The full list of artists who have been awarded residencies at Edinburgh Printmakers is:
- Aqsa Arif (Pakistan)
- The Dirars (Sudan)
- Mousa AlNana (Syria)
- Najma Abukar (Somalia)
- Paria M Goodarzi (Iran)
- Zory Shahrokhi (Iran)
The artists who have been awarded residencies at our partner organisations are:
AGA LAB, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Barbara Miše (Croatia)
- Raul Balai (Netherlands)
- Ehsan Fardjandiya (Iran)
Funen Printmaking Studio, Odense, Denmark
- Rezan Arab (Syria)
- Naila Hekmat (Syria)
- Dareen Abbas (Syria)
International Centre of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Azad Karim (Kurdistan, Iraq)
- Qëndresë Deda (Kosovo)
- Maja Živko (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Azadeh Hashemzadeh (Iran)
- Francisco Tomsich (Uruguay)
- Lina Rica (Croatia)
Cork Printmakers
- Artists to be announced in the coming months
