Artist-in-Residence Program

The Artist-in-Residence Program is one of the strategic projects of the 5th Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art. It was first introduced at the 2nd Biennial in 2012, and since then, 20 artists from 9 countries hosted by the Program have produced more than 30 art-objects.

Thе Program is focused on fostering interaction between contemporary artists and operational, regional industrial factories. This approach distinguishes our Artist-in-Residence Program from many others around the world. Residencies result in site-specific artworks created for the hosting city or enterprise. Artworks created as part of the Program will be presented at an exhibition, which opens alongside the main project at the Biennial’s main venue – the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant.

The Artist-in-Residence Program team and artists have examined the theme of the 5th Ural Industrial Biennial through the duality of ruins. As witnesses of the distant past, ruins continue to exist — they both penetrate time and prevail beyond it. The topic of Immortality has also encouraged the Artist-in-Residence Program team to move beyond their fascination with industriality and extend their interpretation of the surrounding areas. The Ural landscape retains the history of its industrial past in the forms of quarries, dumping grounds, spoil heaps, and ruined, deserted plants.