Would you like to apply for this residency? Go back to Residency for the terms and conditions, assessment and checklist for your application.
The Surinamese art scene bears the marks of the various cultures of South and North America, the Caribbean and Western Europe. The historical links between the Netherlands and Suriname have resulted in many connections between artists from Suriname and the Netherlands. Numerous artists with a Surinamese background are active the Netherlands. In recent years, Paramibo – the capital of Suriname – has attracted many international artists and curators. Established artists in the Netherlands also often participate in exchanges and explore characteristic Surinamese culture and nature, in order to broaden their horizons, develop new idioms and bring greater depth to their work.
At the Tembe Art Studio, residents have the opportunity to further develop and display their work together with other artists in the specific context of Suriname and the culture of the Marowijne district. They will experience first-hand how the conditions in Moengo are completely different to those in Paramaribo. The driving force behind the Tembe Art Studio is the Surinamese artist Marcel Pinas, who has founded a cultural centre in a former Suralco hospital at the heart of Moengo (the second city of the Marowijne district). In addition to the artist-in-residency programme, the centre also organises exhibitions and provides a space for artists to train local talent. Pinas: ‘We want to support the creativity of the Marowijne community, especially young people, and give them the opportunity to become self-reliant’. In addition to the Dutch artists, the guest studio will also be visited by artists from other parts of the world, including the United States, the Caribbean and Suriname itself. As part of the residency, artists are invited to create a spatial work to be included in the Marowijne Art Park. The park was the Pinas’ brainchild, and the initiative resulted in him being named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Geneve, making him one of the first artists to receive the accolade.
For whom
The residency at the Tembe Art Studio is for visual artists. Artists applying as part of a duo or collaboration are required to submit individual applications.
A duo is defined as: 2 artists, 2 curators / observers or a combination of these who structurally create work together. Collaborations can (on occasion) be considered as duos if they submit a joint plan for the working period that leads to one result. In addition, a duo must live and work together in one space during the residency. Please note, you both need to submit separate applications.
Work periods
There are two work periods available:
- 1 February to 30 April 2025
- 1 April to 30 June 2025
The residencies overlap each other by a month, which means that the residents spend part of the work period together. Prior to the work period, Marcel Pinas is contacted to develop the plan for the residency period and to update residents on specific circumstances and necessities.
Applicants are asked to state their preference for a work period on the application form. Every effort will be made to honour this preference. Per period there is room for 1 artist or duo.
How much?
The Mondriaan Fund makes a subsidy of € 8.666 available for an artist to help cover travel expenses, material costs and living costs. This sum is intended for 1 person. In addition, the selected resident is expected to pay a 10% personal contribution. The Mondriaan Fund automatically takes this into account in their ultimate subsidy, you do not need to do anything.
The cost of renting the studio/living space and the support for the resident offered by the Tembe Art Studio are not included in the contribution and will be settled by the Mondriaan Fund directly with the Tembe Art Studio.
If a duo or collaborative partnership is selected for the residency, the total amount increases proportionally to cover the additional travel and living costs for the second applicant.
The contribution to artists based in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom can be increased to meet any higher travel costs. This is looked at per situation.
Application
The deadline for submitting an application for a work period in 2025 is Thursday 21 March before 16.00 (Dutch time zone) / 11.00 (Caribbean time zone).
Before submitting an application, please see the Residency page for the terms and conditions, application procedure and assessment procedure.
Please also read the terms and conditions applicable to Mondriaan Fund contributions.
Selection
The selection is made by an advisory committee. Based on the submitted documents, the advisory committee selects the residents. A representative of the Tembe Art Studio participates in the meeting.*
*Please note! Be aware that the processing time for this selection procedure may exceed three months
Other grants for residencies in the Netherlands and other countries
Because only 1 or 2 residents can be selected for any given residency during each application round, it is inevitable that many will be disappointed. For this reason, we point out that it is also possible to apply for an Artist Project at a different residency location. The specific Artist Project residency applied for may not be one of those already being offered in the Mondriaan Fund application rounds.