Chechen Artist Aslan Goisum To Be The First Recipient Of The AES+F Artist Residency Award

AES+F, a four-person Russian artist collective, in collaboration with ISCP, the International Studio & Curatorial Program in New York City, has announced that artist Aslan Goisum will be the first recipient of the AES+F Artist Residency Award. The AES+F Artist Residency Award was created for emerging artists from the Russian Federation who are at a pivotal stage in their careers, in order to offer them career development opportunities that they would not normally have access to.

The AES+F Artist Residency Award is currently the only grant of its kind in the Russian Federation, and the first one to be organized by Russian artists.

Aslan Goisum will be in residence at ISCP for three months, from May through July, 2020. Goisum has become known for films, installations, and works on paper that articulate the collective and individual upheaval marking the North Caucasus history and analyzing the colonial legacy of the Russian Empire. Goisum is developing an oeuvre that feeds on, but also transforms and transcends, personal and collective memory. His works are poised between visual immediacy and social commentary, between the momentary and the monumental.

Evgeny Svyatsky, member of AES+F, comments, "It is difficult for artists from Russia to participate in cultural exchange programs in the United States, including important international residencies like ISCP. We want to improve their representation abroad, to support a new generation, and with this initiative hope to encourage other institutions and individuals to start programs of their own."

He continues, "International experiences play a fundamental part in an artist's professional development. We were lucky to have been in several art residencies, including one in New York. This experience was very helpful for us, and so we are happy that we can now help our young colleagues. We are very grateful to ISCP, as well as the members of the expert committee and jury, that they responded to and support our initiative. We hope that this award will facilitate the growth of the artist's career as well as cultural exchange in general."

Susan Hapgood, director of ISCP, adds, "Here at ISCP we look forward with great anticipation to this residency for emerging artists from Russia, and express our gratitude to AES+F for their sponsorship of this new initiative. With over 100 artists and curators in residence coming from all over the world annually, participating in our program for periods ranging from several months up to a year, ISCP offers an immersive community of diverse contemporary art approaches and practices. We are confident that the residency will be mutually and deeply beneficial--to the artist and to New York contemporary art circles."

The awarded grant provides:

- a residency at ISCP in New York for 3 months, from May 1 until July 31, 2020

- housing for 3 months provided by AES+F

- funds for round-trip airfare to and from New York

- one-on-one mentoring by AES+F during the residency

- organizational and administrative support from Russian-speaking fellow Anna Evtiugina

The ISCP program includes:
- 24/7 access to a spacious, private, and furnished studio in East Williamsburg
- monthly studio visits from curators and arts professionals
- participation in the Summer Open House program in July 2020

- invitation to attend ISCP regular public programs and private social events

- field trips to museums, galleries and other cultural venues (twice a month)

In addition, the resident will have:
- the opportunity to have a public talk during 'Artists at Work' presentations

- the opportunity to participate in alumni events in the future

- the opportunity to make proposals for exhibitions at the ISCP gallery and project space

An open call took place between December 6, 2019 and January 31, 2020 with the criteria for applicants being visual artists under 40 years old from Russia, living in Russian Federation (Russian citizens), working in any media, with basic proficiency in the English language. To participate in the open call, artists applied at www.iscp-nyc.org/apply. The selection process was performed in two stages:

Stage 1: Short list. The expert committee selected 10 artists from the open call. The committee comprised Maria Kramar (curator, V-A-C foundation), Iaroslav Volovod (curator, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art), and Anton Svyatsky (curator and director of AES+F studio). The artists shortlisted for the residency were Aslan Goisum, Polina Kanis, German Lavrovskiy, Tanya Pioniker, Vasily Sumin, Alexey Taruts, Asya Volodina, Ustina Yakovleva, Alisa Yoffe, and Maria Zaikina.

Stage 2: Award recipient. Goisum was selected by an international jury comprising Marina Abramovic (artist, New York), AES+F (artist collective, Berlin, New York, and Moscow), Kate Fowle (director, MoMA PS1, New York; former chief curator, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow), Susan Hapgood (director, ISCP, New York), Joseph Kosuth (artist, New York and London), Ksenia Nouril (Jensen Bryan curator, The Print Center, Philadelphia), and Xiaoyu Weng (curator, Guggenheim Museum, New York).

Ksenia Nouril, Jensen Bryan Curator at The Print Center and a member of the jury, comments, "Geopolitical relations aside - art is the ultimate connector. The award will undoubtedly contribute to cross-cultural dialogues and increase the presence and impact of Russian contemporary art in New York and internationally today."

For more information, visit https://iscp-nyc.org/ and https://aesf.art/

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