Promotion of emerging artists Visual Arts
Information
Sibilla Panzeri
Our support for emerging artists is aimed at outstanding artists who are in the first five years of their artistic career, having completed their professional training or presented their first work to the public. Three forms of promotion are on offer in the visual arts domain:
- Contributions to art spaces in Switzerland, enabling the artists concerned to gain initial experience in the professional exhibition scene;
- Support for presence at art fairs to enhance the artists’ international visibility;
- Support for the launch of photographic projects (cf. Guidelines for Applicants: Visual Arts);
- Artist-in-Residence programmes offering a solid infrastructure, guidance by specialists and support in the forging of new ties.
We thus offer emerging young artists opportunities to undertake further steps in creative production, in developing their artistic career and in enhancing their national and international presence.
Application deadline:
1 September 2022
The next call for applications opens on 1 June.
We support curatorial initiatives by self-organised art spaces and small and medium-sized art institutions (in the following referred to as art spaces) on behalf of emerging artists. The aim is to facilitate the artists’ entry into the art scene and help them gain initial exhibition experience. The art spaces concerned may apply for support from Pro Helvetia either for an annual programme or for individual projects.
Criteria for Support
This promotional tool has been created for art spaces in support of projects with emerging artists. emerging artists are understood to mean those who are in the first five years of their professional artistic career (either after they have obtained their artistic degree or following the first public presentation of their work).
Eligible for support are art spaces in Switzerland that fulfill the following criteria:
- Innovative and independent nature of curatorial approach and/or art outreach programme;
- High programme quality;
- Ongoing exhibition activities;
- Professional track record of at least two years.
Deadlines
Pro Helvetia accepts applications from art spaces exclusively via myprohelvetia.ch.
The deadlines for applications are 1 March and 1 September. First event not earlier than eight weeks after the submission deadline.
Dossier contents for annual programme
- Detailed description of the curatorial concept and the planned programme, incl. financing plan
- Swiss artists already confirmed as participants at the time of submitting the application, incl. year of birth, CV and visual documentation
- Annual programme, incl. financing plan of the past and current year
- Information on the art space: history, focus (general concept, positioning in Switzerland and international, goals)
Dossier contents for individual projects
- Project documentation
- Information on the emerging artists involved, incl. year of birth, CV and visual documentation
- Programme of the past and current year
- Information on the art space: history, focus (general concept, positioning in Switzerland and international, goals)
Contributions
The maximum amount of support granted by Pro Helvetia is CHF 5,000 for individual projects and CHF 15,000 (arranged by means of specific agreement) for an annual programme.
Contributions can be made to:
- Production costs;
- Transport and insurance costs;
- Rental costs for equipment;
- Travel costs of the artists involved.
No support is provided for infrastructure and operational costs.
Previous supported art spaces
2021
Autumn 2021
Annual programme:
- DOCK Kunstraum, Archiv und Ausleihe, Basel
- Espace libre visarte, Biel
- Krone Couronne, Biel
- La rada, Locarno
- Lokal-int, Biel
- Material, Zurich
- Palazzina, Basel
- Sonnenstube, Lugano
- Tunnel Tunnel, Lausanne
- Urgent Paradise, Lausanne
Spring 2021
Annual programme:
- Association EEEEH!, Nyon
- Espace 3353, Carouge
- Kulturfolger, Zurich
- Kunstraum Milieu,
- Last Tango, Zurich
- Longtang, Zurich
- One Gee in Fog, Geneva
- Wallstreet, Grolley
- Zabriskie, Geneva
Project contributions:
- Plymouth Rock, Zurich
- Stadtgalerie Bern, Bern
- Standard/deluxe, Lausanne
2020
Autumn 2020
Annual programme:
- Cabane B, Bern
- Centre d’Art Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel
- DOCK, Basel
- Espace libre, Biel
- Fri-Art, Freiburg
- Hamlet, Zurich
- Hit, Geneva
- La rada, Locarno
- Lokal-int, Biel
- Noon, Basel
- Sonnenstube, Lugano
- Tunnel Tunnel, Lausanne
- Urgent Paradise, Lausanne
Project contributions:
- Kunstkasten, Winterthur
- PlattformPlattform, Zurich
- Plymouth Rock, Zurich
- Sic! Elephanthouse, Lucerne
Spring 2020
Annual programme:
- Ausstellungsraum Klingental, Basel
- Die Diele, Zurich
- Grand Palais, Bern
- Kulturfolger, Zurich
- Last Tango, Zurich
- L’espace eeeeh!, Nyon
- Material, Zurich
- Milieu, Bern
- One Gee in Fog, Geneva
- OnCurating, Zurich
- Plymouth Rock, Zurich
- Kunstraum Sattelkammer, Bern
- Sic! Raum für Kunst, Lucerne
- WallStreet, Freiburg
Project contributions:
- Kunsthalle Luzern, Lucerne
- Zabriskie Point, Geneva
2019
Autumn 2019
In autumn 2019, contributions were awarded to nine art spaces, including eight for their annual programme and one for a specific exhibition project.
Annual programme:
- Lokal-int, Biel
- HIT, Geneva
- La rada, Locarno
- Forde, Geneva
- Urgent Paradise, Lausanne
- espace libre Visarte, Biel
- Sonnenstube, Lugano
- Espace Labo, Geneva
Project contributions:
- Tunnel Tunnel, Lausanne: Kim Coussée, Marie von Berchem
Spring 2019
In spring 2019, contributions were awarded to fifteen art spaces, including forteen for their annual programme and one for a specific exhibition project.
Annual programme:
- WallRiss, Fribourg
- Smallville, Neuchatel
- Raum//Station, Zurich
- Sattelkammer, Bern
- 1.1, Basel
- Centre d’art Neuchâtel, Neuchatel
- SALTS, Basel
- one gee in fog, Chêne-Bourg
- Kunstraum Milieu, Bern
- Last Tango, Zurich
- Le Foyer, Zurich
- Zabriskie Point, Geneva
- Mikro, Zurich
- Espace Quark, Geneva
Project contributions:
- Kunsthaus Langenthal, Langenthal: Anja Braun, Leo Hoffmann, Daniel V. Keller, Lynne Kouassi, Rebecca Kunz, «Unbehaust»
2018
Autumn 2018
In autumn 2018, contributions were awarded to twelve art spaces, including ten for their annual programme and two for a specific exhibition project.
Annual programme:
- Lokal-int, Biel
- Fri-art, Fribourg
- Urgent Paradise, Lausanne
- La rada, Locarno
- Espace Hit, Geneva
- Sonnenstube, Lugano
- espace libre Visarte, Biel
- sic!, Luzern
- Grand Palais, Bern
- Tunnel Tunnel, Lausanne
Project contributions:
- Espace Quark, Geneva: Sinae Yoo, «Exposition personnelle»
- Kunsthaus Langenthal, Langenthal: «Chloé Delarue – TAFAA #28»
Spring 2018
In spring 2018, contributions were awarded to thirteen art spaces, including eleven for their annual programme and two for a specific exhibition project.
Annual programme:
- Zabriskie Point in Geneva
- Le Foyer in Zurich
- Raum//Station in Zurich
- 1.1 in Basel
- Sattelkammer in Bern
- Kunst(Zeug)Haus in Rapperswil-Jona
- Riverside in Worblaufen
- Dienstgebäude Art Space in Zurich
- Kunstraum Milieu in Bern
- one gee in fog Bern Chêne-Bourg
- Smallville in Neuchâtel
Project contributions:
- Taylor Macklin, Zurich: group exhibition «STRIKE», with Carissa Mitchel, Raphaëlle Müller, Anaïs Wenger
- SALTS, Birsfelden: group exhibition «Semantics of the Future» with Marie Matusz, Alan Schmalz
We support presentations by up-and-coming artists at renowned art fairs in order to boost the artists’ international visibility, enable them to take initial steps into the market and become financially independent.
Here, you will find all information concerning support for presentations at art fairs.
Criteria for Support
This promotional tool has been created for art galleries that are planning to exhibit works by an emerging artist at an art fair. Support is provided for solo exhibitions and presentations that take up at least 50% of a booth’s volume at the fair. Emerging artists are understood to mean those who are in the first five years of their professional artistic career (either after they have obtained their artistic degree or following the first public presentation of their work).
Eligible for support are galleries that fulfill the following criteria:
- Gallery operation as principal function;
- Ongoing exhibition activities with regular opening hours on the gallery’s own premises;
- Intermediary services and trade in contemporary art;
- Professional track record of at least two years;
- High programme quality;
- Art fair booth size of 35m2 at most.
Deadlines
Application deadline: ongoing, up to eight weeks prior to the event.
Pro Helvetia accepts applications from galleries for the support of presentations by emerging artists at art fairs exclusively via myprohelvetia.ch.
Galleries can apply for support from Pro Helvetia before applying for participation at the art fair. If Pro Helvetia grants the requested support, it does so under the condition that the gallery provides definitive confirmation of participation at the fair.
Dossier Contents
- Project description, incl. booth design;
- Copy of the application form to the fair;
- Information on the gallery and the art fair, incl. date of event(s) in question;
- Information on emerging Swiss artists participating, incl. biographies and visual documentation;
- Budget and financing plan, incl. amount of support requested from Pro Helvetia.
Contributions
The maximum amount of support granted by Pro Helvetia is CHF 10,000.
Contributions can be made to:
- Booth rental costs;
- Transport and insurance costs;
- Rental costs for equipment;
- Travel costs of the artists involved.
In collaboration with various partners, we support specialized artist-in-residence programmes, offering young artists mentoring schemes, excellent networks and initial opportunities to show their work.
Currently, residencies are available at the following partners:
- Rijksakademie van beeldende Künsten, Amsterdam
- ABA – Air Berlin Alexanderplatz, Berlin
- A-I-R Laboratory, Warsaw
- Residence NRW⁺, Münster
Calls for residencies are displayed on our website.
