pARTage is a registered, non-profit artists` led organisation based in Mauritius. We aim at promoting art in the country as well as in the region (Comoros, Madagascar, Reunion and Seychelles). We do this through numerous local and international exhibitions, conferences, workshops and residencies. (www.partagemauritius.wordpress.com). pARTage is part of The Triangle Network (www. trianglenetwork.org) ; an international network of artists and organizations set up in 1982 by late Sir Anthony Caro and Robert Loder to support artists-run grass roots projects around the world.

We are inviting artists to apply for the next pARTage workshop on “Conflict Zone” which will take place in Mauritius from 5th to 20th April 2019

PARTICIPANTS: Contemporary artists working in any medium and open to experimentation, coming from around the world.

Theme: “Conflict Zone”

“Make love, not war”, a slogan mainly used in the 1960s by those opposed to the Vietnam War and invoked in other anti-war contexts, is unfortunately even more relevant today. Our world is still a very violent place. If we look around the world’s many conflicts, and if we define these wars more broadly, then we see frontlines everywhere, more conflicts and war than love.

War is monstrous. Its very nature is one of tragedy and suffering. The greatest blot on humanity, war has been a constant part of human history. We have not learnt much from the first or the second world wars. Today, our so called civilized world is in constant armed conflict. Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Israel, Palestine, Myanmar, Syria and Yemen, to name a few. Above mass slaughter, material and moral damage, the lives of millions of men, women and children are being destroyed every day. They are left in despair and misery with irreversible scars on many generations to come. It seems that history has taught us nothing!

Conflict, an ever present process in human relations, seems to be the main basis of violence and ultimately war. Hence, no society is immune from this epidemic, this contamination. Greed, hatred, power, ignorance, inequality, poverty, the sense of superiority in terms of color, religion and nationality make the most rational minds unreasonable and quickly give way to violence. The most peaceful countries can turn to hell at any time.

pART age is inviting artists to reflect, on the topic of conflict, violence and war, source of so much pain and despair in many parts of our planet. Artists are encourages to explore all the different connotations of conflict, their source and their consequences. And also creatively translate their ideas, concepts and emotions into art that would speak to people and inspire love, dialogue, mutual understanding and peaceful resolution of conflicts, be it personal or collective.

Neville Chamberlain rightly said “In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers”. However we can all become winners only if war is waged against poverty, against racism, against pollution, against drugs, against disease, against inequalities, against intolerance, against …

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES: (2 Weeks)

1. Art workshop: All artists will work in a common space where they will be provided with most necessary tools and materials to allow them experiment fully in their favorite media. The fact that they will be working next to each other, there will be a mirror effect from one work to the other; this will favor both a visual and verbal exchange. It has been noted in the past workshops that though artists will work individually on their piece, the creative energy that will develop will make them all work as a group. We hope the workshop will enable participants to develop projects in response to the new environment, experiment with locally available unfamiliar art materials in unfamiliar ways. The practical workshop will take place in flic en flac at the outdoor training center (Ministry of Youth and Sports). The site is right by the sea and will be a very inspiring space for artists.

2. Art talk: In the evening there will be informal slide shows and talks among the participants. Each artist will present his personal work and also talk about art in his country.

3. One-day conference: The conference will be attended by art lovers, art students and other artists.

4. Art exhibition: All artworks produced during the two weeks will be exhibited at the end of the workshop. This will allow a larger public to experience the result of the workshop. Artists will have to make arrangements to ship their works if ever they would decide to take their works back home. The exhibition will take place from 19th to 4th May.

Facilities offered:

Artists are provided with working space, meals, housing, basic tools and basic materials, inland travels including airport transfers and excursions from 5th to 20th April. However as we are a small non-profit organization we will not be able to pay any kind of fee to artists for their participation. No artists’ fee.

Participants` contribution:

Artists are responsible for all other expenses, including the costs of international travel and travel insurance. Accepted participants will be issued with official invitation letters to facilitate application for financial support from other organizations.

Deadline for Application: 5th February 2019

HOW TO APPLY:

Please send us the following information by mail to ( partage2004@gmail.com ):

1. Full name

2. E-mail

3. Country of origin

4. Picture of yourself

5. Short CV- education, main solo and group exhibitions

6. Pictures of five works ( 300- 500 KB per picture ), 1 mins videos.

WORKSHOP RULES:

1. Participating artists must attend all activities of the workshop.

2. pARTage is an opportunity for artists to exchange ideas, experience, knowledge, skills and philosophies in an environment conducive to interaction between all of us. In terms of gender, knowledge, experience, religion, wealth, culture etc all participants are regarded as professional artists and everyone will enjoy equal status.

3. Commodities, workspace, materials, equipment and opportunities will have to be shared equally by everyone.

4. All foreign artists must have a travel insurance to cover theft, accidents and health. pARTage will not be responsible of any accident or injuries.

5. There is no per-diem, or allowance for participants in the workshop.

6. All foreign artists will stay in Flic en flac. Food and lodging will be free but alcoholic beverages; telephone calls and personal shopping must be paid for by the individual artists.

7. We have no technical staff or paid helpers so we count on everyone to give a helping hand where necessary.

8. Two artists will have to share a room wherever possible. Rooms are No smoking and visitors should not have access to rooms.

9. Artists are asked to prepare a power point presentation of their works (10 mins talk for each artist)

10. pARTage will have the rights to use photo of artists and their works for promotional purpose.

11. Artists are encouraged to work with non-conventional materials such as paper, carton boxes, tins, old furniture, bottles, old machines, branches, leaves, bamboo etc. We will have a modest material fee for glue, wire, ropes, paint etc.

12. There will be no insurance coverer for works exhibited at IFM, as such there will not be any form of compensation neither from pARTage nor from IFM in case of damage or theft. However all care will be taken to secure the works. There has never been any incidents of loss or damage in all 7 previous workshops.

13. Local artists will have to remove their works immediately after closing of the exhibition on 4th May 2019. If they choose to donate their works to friends, the works will have to be removed immediately after the last day of the exhibition.

13. And foreign artists will have to make arrangements for their works to be shipped back to them in case they choose to take their works home. In case they donate to pARTage, we will take care to remove. If they choose to donate to friends, the works will have to be collected immediately after the last day of the exhibition.

13. No works should be removed during the exhibition period.

14. All works or parts of work not removed after the last day of the exhibition will be discarded by pARTage.

419, kestrel Street, Flic en flac, Mauritius

+230-5751-9045, partage2004@gmail.com

https://partagemauritius.wordpress.com/