In order to develop an art practice—an ongoing process of production based on conceptual and formal investigation—artists need time, stimulating input, access to technical skills, conversations with peers, and exchange with audiences. To facilitate these evolving processes, Mophradat is introducing this revised version of what was the Grants for Artists program to include two components: first, providing artists with flexible financial support that can be used towards their livelihood, and/or for ongoing research, and/or the realization of a particular proposal. Second, connecting the participating artists with their peers (of the selection committee) with whom they will engage in a structured dialogue over three sessions throughout the grant period.
For this pilot edition, the program will provide approximately ten grants of either US $2500 or US $5000 covering periods of research, residencies, production of new work, curating and presenting shows, amongst other forms of artistic work. Eligible applications are for contemporary art activities–or projects by artists or other arts practitioners–from/living in the Arab world or be relevant to the region. The program is only open to those interested in an ongoing conversation with the professional peers Mophradat is engaging for this purpose.
Mophradat creates opportunities for artists from the Arab world* through an inventive approach to funding, commissioning, collaborating, and gathering. Our way of working is imaginative and ambitious, inclusive and hospitable. The name Mophradat is an (eccentric) transliteration of the Arabic word meaning vocabulary. Our name speaks to the uniqueness of individual elements in a collective, but also to the way in which brought together they generate shared meanings and understandings.