K.A.I.R. – Košice Artist In Residence

Residential programme for artists from Slovakia and all over the world and from all artistic disciplines and genres. We give Slovaks a chance to travel to a foreign art centre for several months. We also regularly welcome talented people from abroad for a few months.

K.A.I.R. – Košice Artist In Residence provides the opportunity to work in Košice – in its inspiring environment with a unique cultural background and put together artistic projects, cooperate with the agile local art scene and present the local and national scene. This artistic, cultural and creative exchange helps to stimulate the Slovak art scene, contribute to the local environment and enriches local artists with international experience.

K.A.I.R. works on an international level. Each residency is either collaboration with a foreign artist or an organisation from Košice or concentrates on the creative work of a Slovak artist abroad. Over five years, they handled over 100 residencies. Artists are selected on the basis of open calls in collaboration with our international partners. So far we have sent and invited artists from different countries such as Poland, Germany, Georgia, Ukraine or Japan. At the same time, we can host 3 artists to promote exchange and dialogue between different spheres. In Košice, we provide them with accommodation, studios, financial and production support.

K.A.I.R. – Košice Artist in Residence, the international program for artistic residencies, was implemented in 2011 as one of the key activities within the Košice 2013 – European Capital of Culture (ECoC) project. After the ECoC, the organisation Košice 2013 changed its name to Creative Industry Košice. During this period, K.A.I.R. had a stable ground to develop its international activities through the rich network of partners. In 2016, K.A.I.R. became an independent entity.

This fit into the plan of Košice as it wanted to join the prestigious UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts network in 2017. Creative Industry Košice and K.A.I.R. continue to cooperate closely. They have been organizing media art residencies in Košice, which combine science and art.