In partnership with the International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York, Russian artist collective AES+F have recently announced the first recipient of the AES+F Artist Residency Award. 

The award supports outstanding up-and-coming artists from the Russian Federation and seeks to enable the chosen artist to progress to the next stage in their career. The grant is the only award of its kind currently in place in the Russian Federation and is the first to be organised by Russian artists. 

Artists under 40 years old and based in Russia were invited to respond to an open call which took place in December and January. Ten shortlisted artists were selected by a committee of experts: Maria Kramar (curator, V-A-C foundation), Iaroslav Volovod (curator, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art), and Anton Svyatsky (curator and director of AES+F studio), before the award recipient was chosen by an international jury of acclaimed artists and arts professionals: Marina Abramović, AES+F, Kate Fowle, Susan Hapgood, Joseph Kosuth, Ksenia Nouril and Xiaoyu Weng.

The artists shortlisted for the residency were Aslan Goisum, Polina Kanis, German Lavrovskiy, Tanya Pioniker, Vasily Sumin, Alexey Taruts, Asya Volodina, Ustina Yakovleva, Alisa Yoffe, and Maria Zaikina. The recipient of the AES+F Artist Residency Award is Aslan Goisum, an artist born in Grozny, Chechnya and based in Grozny and Moscow. 

Working primarily with installation, film and paper, Goisum is best known for work that foregrounds the recent history, collective memory and individual experiences of the North Caucasus, in particular looking at the impact of the Russian Empire’s colonial legacy in the region. Goisum will carry out a residency at ISCP in New York for three months in the near future (dates will depend on the progress of the Covid-19 pandemic). The residency will include mentoring from AES+F and a public talk by the artist at ISCP.

AES+F are committed to support and emphasise the work of Russian artists on international platforms. "It is difficult for artists from Russia to participate in cultural exchange programs in the United States, including important international residencies like ISCP. We want to improve their representation abroad, to support a new generation, and with this initiative hope to encourage other institutions and individuals to start programs of their own." - Evgeny Svyatsky, AES+F.

--

Top image -  Aslan Goisum, Numbers, 2015. Courtesy of the artist.