The sixth edition of the Young Curators Residency Programme arrives in Malaga

The Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Madrid Foundation consolidates its residency program for young art curators from international backgrounds (Young Curators Residency Programme) with a sixth edition that sets its next stop in Andalusia. The three selected young curators, Elías Rizek, a Palestinian born in Jerusalem; Chadrack Kakule, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and the Belgian Henriette Gillerot, will travel for four days through the cities of Córdoba and Málaga to explore different spaces of the local scene such as the C3A (Center for Contemporary Creation of Andalusia), the MuCAC (Museum and Center for Contemporary Art of Málaga), La Casa Invisible, and the Centre Pompidou.

Driven by the support of Reale Foundation and coordinated by hablarenarte, the program offers young international curators an intensive research residency in Spain with a dual objective: to develop the professional and critical skills of the selected youth, and to promote the national artistic fabric. Through visits to museums, galleries, and artists' studios in Madrid, Barcelona, A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Málaga, and Córdoba, the young curators have the opportunity to get to know the national art scene in an edition that will culminate in June with the inauguration of their own exhibition in the Madrid art space Nadie Nunca Nada No.

To select the three resident individuals, the program works with the top curatorial schools worldwide. Some of these institutions are the Royal College of Art in London, Bard College, the University of the Arts in Zurich, as well as the Independent Curators' International (ICI), the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai, among others. The final jury was composed of Amanda de la Garza Mata, artistic deputy director of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, Sergio Rubira, artistic director of the museum TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, and Emma Brasó, representative of hablarenarte.

Reale Foundation has supported this initiative since its first edition, through the Cultura con Impacto campaign, which seeks to highlight and give visibility to the transformative power of culture in society. Its director in Spain, Pilar Suárez-Inclán, states that "from Reale Foundation we have supported this program from the beginning, six years ago, because we are convinced that art and culture are engines of transformation and drivers of change. In our Foundation, we firmly believe in the positive impact of culture on society, which is why we support initiatives like this one, which promote young talent and offer them future opportunities and training for their professional development, but also showcase the artistic talent of our country projecting it internationally."

Visits to Málaga and Córdoba

Between April 26 and 30, the three curators will tour several cities in Andalusia to get closer to local life and cultural landscape, which will enrich their exhibition project and their experience in this residency.

On Saturday the 26th, they will travel to Córdoba, where they will stay for two days. Their itinerary includes a visit to the C3A, a cultural center dedicated to bringing new artistic languages to the public and supporting contemporary creation through exhibitions, activities, and workshops that cover various disciplines and are aimed at all audiences.

On Monday the 28th, they will move to Málaga, where they will discover renowned artistic spaces such as the MuCAC, La Casa Invisible, or the Centre Pompidou. They will also have the opportunity to learn about creative projects like Residencia RARA, in Villanueva del Rosario, which connects artists from around the world with the local artistic network within a rural setting.

To conclude this trip, on Wednesday the 30th, they will visit the Hebras y Urdimbres exhibition, in the exhibition hall of the Rectorate of the University of Málaga. The exhibition gathers a selection of works made by Spanish and Latin American artists that explore the dimensions of weaving.

Since their arrival in Spain on March 11, the residents have toured Madrid, Barcelona, and Galicia to get to know art centers, museums, galleries, foundations, independent spaces, and local artists' studios.

This residency program follows the model of the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin, where it has been held since 2006. In this sense, besides promoting and supporting national contemporary art and emerging curatorial practice, the Young Curators Residency Programme provides an opportunity to create international networks among young professionals in the sector while highlighting the role of the curator within the artistic scene.

Necessary Supports

The president of the Foundation, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, highlights the need to support young talent and emerging curatorial practice: "The Foundation has assumed over the years the responsibility of supporting the internationalization of Spanish contemporary art and so it continues. Generating a network of professionals also involves giving greater importance to the figure of curators, the main objective of the YCRP."

For her part, Emma Brasó, representative of hablarenarte, emphasizes that in "a context of great political instability and with conflicts of all kinds around us, being able to welcome into this program three young curators from such diverse contexts and situations contributes to creating spaces for exchange and reciprocity through art."