This is FRESH A.I.R. – Insights from 2018

URBAN NATION is much more than the MUSEUM FOR URBAN CONTEMPORARY ART. Soon, the second year of the Artist in Residence scholarships (FRESH A.I.R.) will start directly under the roof of the museum. The vision of URBAN NATION’s director Yasha Young and her motto “All nations under one roof” are coming to life. Here are some voices of the artists of the past year as they speak about their impressions of this extraordinary scholarship program to get to know exciting insights.

„When I wrote the concept for the FRESH A.I.R. program it was always about community and opportunity for creatives from all over the world. The energy and inspiration to be working surrounded by peers is UNique and a challenge as well. And I will do my best to assemble a jury each year that will help the alumni to be seen and heard by some of the interesting and visionary individuals out there.” Yasha Young, curator of URBAN NATION

Under the leitmotif “Connect. Create. Care.” URBAN NATION  – under Miss Young’s direction and curation – is an international institution for art, creative projects and social exchange far beyond the borders of Berlin. Already in September last year, URBAN NATION went a step further as the director Miss Young curated the first alumni for the Artist in Residence scholarships (FRESH A.I.R.), offering artists a very special place to live and work.

At the pulse of urban contemporary art, directly under the roof of the URBAN NATION museum, new fellows of the Artist in Residence scholarship will move in on April 1st. The application deadline is February 25th. With the start of the application phase, the number of questions from interested artists is increasing: What do the apartments look like? How does it live with more than 10 other artists on 1,100 square meters? What input awaits me? How intensive will the 3 to 6 months be? – In order to shed some light on all these questions, we will simply let a few scholarship holders of the first class of FRESH A.I.R. talk about it:

“Living under one roof with URBAN NATION does have an impact on your creativity. A lot! It is great to have like minded people around you, that pushes you to try harder, that pushes you to progress. You have conversations that maybe make you think differently than you would if you are alone in your own studio.”

Nick from the artist duo Snik

“The most beautiful part about this type of programme is that it really shows you the type of community that we are all part of, the very similar psychological things that all artist go through. It is one of the greatest things to share our worries, our hopes, but also a lot of our process on a more technical level, the small little tips that you can get from different artists. Different ideas, different approaches to colour, to medium, to concept. That’s the most precious part of the all of this: the give and take that you get between different artists.”Li-Hill

“The great advantage of this scholarship program is the exchange with other fellow artists. In fact, apart from festivals and events, the actual life of an artist is an isolated studio painting. Here you have the opportunity to exchange ideas with others.” Akut (Herakut)

“The studios are very inviting. Inspiring on the one hand, but also familiar and homely.” Hera (Herakut)

“I find the time and the space and the quiet moments to actually do a lot of work and to think about my universe and to actually play around without any pressure at all to produce and to find and archive, research the relics and the universe.” Sellfable

HERE you can find all information about the Artist in Residence scholarships.

Further information about the FRESH A.I.R. class of 2018 can be found HERE.