This International Cultural Exchanges Scheme forms part of Arts Council Malta’s Internationalisation Strategy for the cultural and creative sectors.
It addresses international cultural exchanges, focusing specifically on the outgoing mobility of Maltese and Malta based artists over 18 years of age as well as their art works and cultural productions.
The spread of Covid-19 has temporarily made travelling more difficult. However, it has given digital cultural exchanges an enormous boost. This scheme addresses this by allowing artists to exchange their art works not only physically but also digitally.
The Council strongly encourages, but does not limit, cultural exchanges with the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa.
The objective of this scheme is to assist Malta based artists with the following:
• To encourage international collaborations and exchanges with the aim of building bridges with the rest of the world so as to enable further understanding and gain trust with other people through culture;
• To increase international accessibility and exposure, to tour their productions, to build networks and to experience the work of artists from around the world in its cultural context;
• To promote cultural diversity and strengthen cultural relations worldwide;
• To showcase creative excellence to international cultural programmers, festival-makers, operators and audiences at large and to sustain and develop professional work.
This scheme supports:
• International collaborations;
• Marketing, including digital as well as printed adverts in, for example, international art/literature/film magazines, train stations, subways, buses, bus stations, ferries, parks, websites, social media platforms, TV programmes etc. This is specifically intended for overseas collaborations/projects;
• Participation in international festivals, exhibitions, showcases, networking events, films, conferences, artist residencies and fairs. Participation can also take place in a digital format;
• The production of audio visuals of completed artworks and cultural productions, which are then presented to international programmers, producers and collaborators overseas. This could include, for example, the filming of a theatrical or a dance production, filming of art installations, poetry readings, exhibitions, fashion shows etc;
• The production of websites and demos for international promotion purpose.
Who can apply?
Creative professionals/individual artists; Entities registered with the Malta Business Registry (including companies, partnerships, foundations and organisations/associations); Groups, Collectives and Consortia; Registered Cooperatives; Voluntary Organisations enrolled with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.
The deadline to apply is Monday 30 May 2022 at noon. Late application cannot be accepted.
Guidelines
Click here to download guidelines and download application template.
Applicants are required to register a new profile as from January 2021.
Apply here.
Results
Application Deadline: 30th May 2022
Applicant: Vince Briffa
Reference number: ICE26-22-1588
Project Title: Participation in (Under) Mining, Cyprus
Amount awarded: EUR 5903
The (Under) Mining Kalavasos art research project, exhibition, and related events will take as their starting point the village of Kalavasos (Cyprus) and its mining heritage, community, and landscape to bring it into a meaningful dialogue with other mining/excavation communities internationally – including Malta. The curatorial team of international artists, historians, and researchers will work with selected artists from the Mediterranean and beyond collaboratively, within and outside the confines of art, emphasizing social inclusion, participation, and archival/social/ethnographic research.
Applicant: Prickly Pear Productions
Reference number: ICE37-22-1617
Project Title: “God Catcher” the new Musical goes to Fringe in Edinburgh
Amount awarded: EUR 8620
The applicants will be taking their interdisciplinary musical "God Catcher" to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023. The project is in collaboration with Petrichor Productions, a Canadian writing team that began working on the show in 2020, and has workshopped the material with the Masters students at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. "God Catcher" is the retelling of the Greek Myth of Arachne, the mortal who dared to challenge the Goddess, Athena. She is the only mortal in Greek mythology to beat a God without being a demi-God herself; she is a brave, talented woman. This story still resonates today, as it covers many topics, such as: systematic abuse of power, societal expectations and tensions, the personal cost of speaking out, and the erasure of the female narrative.
Applicant: Aaron Bezzina
Reference number: ICE24-22-1583
Project Title: Participation at the Mahalla Festival 2022 in Turkey
Amount awarded: EUR 8993
The artistic installation entitled: "Palimpsest of Power" will serve as a landmark at the Mahalla Festival 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey, setting the exhibition's tone and promoting a local artist within the international art scene. Theinstallation, will consist of a solid mass, with the mere resemblance of a bust, hanging upside down from the ceiling/tower like a pendulum, at the historical Greek Primary School of Tatavla. The installation shall be metaphorizing layers of power and their representations. As the former capital of the Byzantine Empire, Istanbul had been the centre for iconography and sculptures. Busts became a widespread tool for the narrative of modernism and nationalism in Turkey and worldwide. The festival's location is an accumulation of cultures, with a developing neighbourhood and a composite identity making it an excellent geographical location for the artist to export his work.
Applicant: Nadine Mercieca
Reference number: ICE25-22-1584
Project Title: Il-Ħoss tal-Għabex international album tour
Amount awarded: EUR 7122
Local jazz singer Nadine Axisa released her second full-length album ‘Il-Ħoss tal-Għabex’ at the end of November 2019. It involves the reworking of Maltese compositions, most of which were published in the 70s and 80s. The tunes were taken through a process of re-imagination, a journey involving experimentation from a melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and sonic perspective. This project will be promoting the album at an international level which will take the form of participation in jazz festivals and events, therefore providing an excellent opportunity to promote local jazz and the Maltese language. The live performances involve a four-piece band consisting of Nadine Axisa on vocals, Joe Debono on keyboards, Oliver Degabriele on bass and Manuel Pulis on drums. These are the same musicians who have been involved in the project since its inception and have contributed to its development. The album will be showcased in various festivals including Cairo Jazz Festival and Porgy & Bess Jazz Club in Vienna
Applicant: Malta Interior Design Association
Reference number: ICE17-22-1553
Project Title: European Council for Interior Architects- General Assembly
Amount awarded: EUR 1048
Attending the European Council of Interior Architects (referred hereunder as ECIA) annual general assembly is essential for the Malta Interior Design Association (referred hereunder as MIDA). This event is attended by 18 other European countries. MIDA since 2021 is now a full member of the ECIA. At this event each country gives an overview of the current state of Interior Architecture and Design in their country and there is a strong exchange of ideas, collaborations and networking for future projects. This is then followed by a design workshop with each country assigned a topic and a working group. Being a small country this yearly exchange is essential for the future of the profession linked to a European platform.
Applicant: Kristina Borg
Reference number: ICE43-22-1640
Project Title: “You Are What You Buy” at the Art as Activism conference (Liverpool) and networking in the UK
Amount awarded: EUR 2341
Artist Kristina Borg has been selected to present her series of projects “You Are What You Buy” (YAWYB) at the “Art as Activism” conference in Liverpool. Organized by The Art of Management and Organization (AoMO) and hosted in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and the Bluecoat Gallery, the conference will be held in-person in August 2022. The conference draws on the role of art and artfulness in making the unseen seen. Kristina Borg will have the opportunity to share YAWYB and exchange her experience of how Art can be used to disrupt, to confront, to question the status quo, and to catalyse social change. Furthermore, the artist will be maximizing this international cultural exchange experience by including a period for networking with organizations based in the North West of the UK and that work in embedded ways, connecting the place with the social and the community.
Applicant: Mighty Boards Ltd
Reference number: ICE31-22-1605
Project Title: Mighty Boards demo-ing Hamlet and introducing new game Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan at international convention Essen Spiel 2022.
Amount awarded: EUR 5219
Mighty Boards will be attending Essen SPIEL, the biggest board game convention in the world. As a game publisher, it is imperative to attend this convention, since most relationships with co-publishers, distributors, press and other designers and artists are built during that week. The majority of releases of hobby games in the world happens in this fair. Since being a Maltese publisher comes with some geographical challenges, attending this international convention will grant Mighty Boards the possibility to get its games into new markets, get new translations done for its games and reach the bigger non-Kickstarter audience.
Applicant: Culture Venture
Reference number: ICE45-22-1642
Project Title: Participation in Arts Industry at the Edinburgh Fringe
Amount awarded: EUR 2000
Toni Attard as creative producer of Udjenza will participate in the arts industry programme at the Edinburgh Fringe. In 2022, the Ed Fringe will welcome back the in-person hub for industry, media and artists at the Fringe Centra and celebrate the 75th anniversary since its foundation. Toni Attard's visit will serve as a scouting opportunity for new international collaborations and an exploration for potential staging of new Maltese productions during future editions of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Applicant: Bettina Paris
Reference number: ICE13-22-1450
Project Title: Cookie Jar
Amount awarded: EUR 10000
Two weeks of full-time rehearsals, culminating in a 5-performance run of COOKIE JAR. Image-based sexual abuse is a worldwide issue. New technology is being weaponized against women; taking their voices, faces & bodies. COOKIE JAR is an original, new writing comedy drama play that begs the question: How much of ourselves do we actually own? Directed by Bettina Paris & produced by her female-led theatre company, Abeille Theatre, COOKIE JAR will form part of The Space Arts Centre’s 2022 programme, a venue located in the Isle of Dogs, London, whose patronage includes Sir Ian McKellen & Marie McLaughlin. This will be Bettina’s directorial debut off Maltese soil, representing a significant step in the development of her career as an artist & in the growth of her theatre company on an international level. This opportunity will pave the way for a future UK/Malta tour of the production.
Applicant: Gaulitanus Choir
Reference number: ICE44-22-1641
Project Title: Vienna Concert Tour: An International Collaboration
Amount awarded: EUR 8500
This concert tour will be re-kicking the Gaulitanus Choir's programme of international events after the forced stop due to the pandemic. Indeed, the Vienna project has been repeatedly postponed over the past years. It is very much a result of the collaborations and international networking established throughout the years, particularly through the choir's annual flagship event, Gaulitana: A Festival of Music. In fact, this is a full collaboration with the TU-Orchester Wien (the orchestra of Vienna's University of Technology), which should also eventually see the TU Orchestra coming over for a tour in Malta.
Applicant: Michel Angelo Muscat
Reference number: ICE44-22-1641
Project Title: 'L' Amor Fatale' - 100th Anniversary of Paolino Vassallo's Death, in Bulgaria
Amount awarded: EUR 10000
The project consists of a modern-stage production of the opera Amor Fatale (1898), by the Maltese composer Paolino Vassallo, in Bulgaria. This production will be held in 2023, exactly 100 years from the composer’s demise. This will be the first time this opera will be produced, after its initial eight-time run at the Royal Theatre in Valletta in 1898. This will also be the opera’s premiere outside our shores. The opera Amor Fatale tells the story of Francesca, a literary figure in Dante Alighieriʼs Inferno, Canto 5. Francesca, who is married to Gianciotto, is in an adulterous affair with his brother Paolo. It is divided into two Acts: in the first act Francesca dwells on her sins, has visions of the Genio del Male, who tempts her to follow her desires, and is chastised by her mother who warns her of Gianciotto's jealousy. In the second act, Francesca and Paolo are discover by Gianciotto, who driven by rage and jealousy stabs the two lovers, the latter choosing to be reunited eternally in death, rather than live without each other.
Applicant: Contemporary Mixed Media Filigree in Slovakia and Milan
Reference number: ICE40-22-1638
Project Title: The Filigree Connection
Amount awarded: EUR 6866
This project revolves around the presentation of a collaborative contemporary filigree project and collective exhibition in various international events, mainly in Slovakia and Milan, presented by three Malta based contemporary jewellery artists/ designers. Mixed Media Filigree is a collection involving the creation of contemporary art jewellery, using various techniques which the 3 jewellery artists specialise in. The jewellery pieces created will be a group effort mixing various styles & skills, with the aim of presenting filigree jewellery in a contemporary and innovative manner, making it attractive for new contemporary jewellery platforms and niche audiences. This will involve attending two different international events dedicated to contemporary jewellery, which provide exhibition platforms allowing jewellery artists to present innovative styles, artistic jewellery and wearable art. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase one’s work and allows for networking, meeting buyers/ collectors, providing the artists with the opportunity to market their brand and create new business opportunities.
Applicant: Nicola Said
Reference number: ICE41-22-1638
Project Title: Multidisciplinary Performance Presentation for the Permanent Mission of Malta to the United Nations New York
Amount awarded: EUR 7500
This event will be a celebratory multidisciplinary performance for the Permanent Mission of Malta to the United Nations in NY. The concert will be an opportunity to showcase and promote Maltese talent and cultural wealth on an international level in a highly prestigious event. Multidisciplinary in concept, it has been designed to incorporate and embody elements from the themes selected by Malta’s Security Council Campaign, Security, Sustainability, and Solidarity. The concert programme will focus on important topics embodied in these themes, while the Maltese language and experience will serve as a connection and bond that runs throughout the programme, thus creating a cohesive cultural story representation:
Security - Focus on Women, Children, Gender Equality, and the LGBTQI+ Community;
Sustainability – Focus on the Environment and the importance of Climate Change;
Solidarity - Immigration and Migration
These themes are also in line with the UN SDGs.
Applicant: Chakib Zidi
Reference number: ICE20-22-1568
Project Title: OUTCAST Humans Without Rights
Amount awarded: EUR 7900
Almost three billion people live in countries where consensual same-sex activity is criminalized. Although significant progress has been made in the last few years, in many countries around the world - such as countries in NorthAfrica, and the Middle East, homosexuality is still considered a crime. In these countries, the LGBTQ ++ risk imprisonment or the death penalty.The aim of this project is to render possible the reunion of a group of LGBTIQ++ activists-artists in order for them to experiment with their various disciplines and create a performance visualizing their struggle, injustice, resistance, and hope. This research project integrates different disciplines and artists in the same space. Through collaborative and creative experiments, a sheer diversity of moves and ideas will arise. This type of collaboration,shall happe through a group residency at BRAŻŻA Art Residency in France. A space which shall enable artists, and particularly performers, living in different countries to work closely together. Dance, Theatre, Music, Narrative, Slam, Drag, and photography will merge to create an artwork projecting their thought for justice, their experience of borders, and their self-empowerment.
Applicant: Yasmin Kuymizakis
Reference number: ICE35-22-1612
Project Title: JOON Live Performances - USA Tour
Amount awarded: EUR 7988
Electronic musician JOON sets out for a three week tour in North America and Canada with live performances in New York, Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Austin and more. She will be showcasing new material and also songs from her debut album 'Dream Again,' that was released in July 2021 on LA-based record label 'Italians Do It Better'.
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