SAiR was successfully concluded
The project Sustainability is in the AiR (SAiR) operated from 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2026 and was successfully concluded.
The partners, MGLC Švicarija – International Centre of Graphic Arts, Matadero – Centre for Contemporary Creation, Snehta Residency and MeetFactory focused on developing a sustainable management model for residential art centres, with the aim of fostering environmentally conscious artistic practices and improving career opportunities for artists participating in residency programmes.
Bringing together four residential centres in Ljubljana, Prague, Madrid, and Athens, the project strengthened and expanded existing operational strategies. Its added value lay in the integration of sustainable studio practices with an accompanying public programme that supported both artistic production and community engagement.
SAiR was designed around several interconnected objectives. The project sought to revive the activities of residential centres in a sustainable and resilient way, while also encouraging the mobility of artists and creating opportunities for artistic and social practices to intersect. Another important goal was to develop a sustainable residency production model that would provide artists with the necessary time, space, professional support, and financial resources to create new works. At the same time, the project explored sustainable artistic practices and examined the infrastructural capacities of partner residencies, testing how these approaches could contribute beyond the field of art.
One of the core components of the project was the international residential exchange programme. Each partner centre hosted six international artists and sent two local or national artists to residencies in partner countries for periods of two to three months. The participating artists were: Lea Culetto and the duo Small but dangers (Slovenia), Sara García Fernández and Adrianna Szojda (Spain), Lenka Kubelová and Olga Staňková (Czech Republic), Maria Nikiforaki and Christina Zampoulaki (Greece). The exchanges enabled artists to develop new artworks while engaging with different cultural, social, and environmental contexts. Alongside the residencies, the project facilitated knowledge exchange through a cycle of online workshops Rehearsing Faith and the development of the Manual on Sustainable Studio Practices and Residencies, which provided practical tools and methodologies for environmentally responsible artistic production.
The project concluded with final exhibition Fragments. A Salon of Curiosities in Athens showcasing the artists’ work and the outcomes of the collaboration, highlighting the importance of sustainability, mobility, and international cooperation within contemporary artistic practice.
