We chose the first resident to Paris!

This year, Jelisaveta Rapaić completed her master's degree at the Department of Intermedia at Studio vvv (Martin Piaček, Dávid Koronczi) with her diploma thesis "SAFE HAVEN (not so) Safe Interactions". She completed a bachelor's degree in textile design at the University of the Arts in Belgrade, at the Faculty of Applied Arts. Besides being practising artists Jelisaveta is also cultural worker. In recent years she has gained experience working behind the scene in cultural organizations, particularly in project and production management and new education approaches. Her artistic practice covers mediums such as video, installation, performance and topics regarding learning, social contexts, work and therapy. Jelisaveta sees herself as a builder of different opportunities and spaces for interactions that might not otherwise happen.

Jelisaveta says about her work:

„My practice has had a nomadic pop-up character, more specifically the SAFE HAVEN project which is an umbrella term for multiple sub-projects which have risen dealing with topics of care, therapy, learning, taste, work, conducted on the basis of non-monetary exchange and value in a form of a hair salon. Most recently I have delved deeper into exploring concepts of safeness, coping mechanisms, popular psychology and underlying tensions, anxieties and boundaries of discomfort one is faced with when confronted with current roaring urgencies and crisis. In my practice I do not take a role of a teacher, rather a sociologist examining reactions, interactions, causes and results of certain actions; an informal voyeur and an opportunity creator. It is safe to say that my practice is based on and enriched by mobility and exposure to different/new narratives, circumstances and landscapes.“

Ten graduates applied for the open call, from which the commission at the AFAD (composed of: Bohunka Koklesová, Marcel Benčík, Beáta Jablonská, Daniel Grúň, Monika Mitášová, Barbora Komarová and Lucia Gregorová Stach) selected three candidates for the second round. In the second round, the Cité commission (Vincent Gonzalvez - Head of the Residencies Department, Souraya Kessaria – Residencies Program and Partnerships) praised the high quality of all submitted applications, but in the work and residency project of the Jelisaveta they were particularly interested in the following three aspects:

• Her research subject is in keeping with the current event and exhibition program of the Cité (the Care system) and we believe she could highly benefit from it ;
• Her potential for possible interaction with other residents is quite high and the number of curators and visual artists currently present at the Cité could highly nourish her current reflection – she seems to be very knowledgeable about the Cite’s atmosphere and development process;
• Her practice and portfolio is of interest and quality.

You can see the work of Jelisaveta Rapaić here: https://www.instagram.com/jelisalveta/

The Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava has established a long-term cooperation with the Cité internationale des arts in Paris, in which we will be able to send to residency Slovak artists, designers, architects or theorists several times a year. Next year, the AFAD will announce two more open calls. We therefore invite all our graduates and doctoral students to follow our website and social networks, where we will publish the current open call in time.

Partners:

Slovak Embassy in Paris
Slovak Institute in Paris
Cité internationale des arts Paris

General partner of the AFAD:

Tatra banka