BLANKxCraveiral Farmhouse: Artists in Residence 2022

February 1 - 27, 2022

It is with great excitement that we announce the six selected participants of the next BLANK Residency at Craveiral Farmhouse, taking place from February 1 – 27, 2022 in São Teotónio, Portugal:

Anna Virnich, Banji Chona, Hugo Brazão, Jan Zöller, Johanna Dumet and Kiko Pérez.

Following a successful inaugural launch in January this year, the unique initiative again invites artists from different disciplines to spend four weeks in the Portuguese countryside. BLANK Residency at Craveiral Farmhouse provides artists with a unique platform to collectively explore contemporary issues and experiment with addressing them. The region is known for its rugged landscape, natural parks and wild beaches; the challenge of working in an unknown, rural landscape opens up new possibilities and pushes artists to approach their working process differently. Sustainability is woven through the DNA of Craveiral Farmhouse and has played an integral role since its conception, thus the programme focuses on the implementation of eco-friendly working materials, recycling processes and general respect for the surrounding nature to support artists willing to improve their environmental impact within their practice. The residency programme includes workshops, open studio events, shared dinners and other common activities focusing on creative exchange and collaboration, but also giving time for self-care, reflection and research.

The artists are provided with their own self-catered farm lofts including daily breakfast at Craveiral Farmtable Restaurant, studio space (indoor and outdoor), working material and the opportunity to make use of the extensive vegetable garden and all the facilities of Craveiral Farmhouse.

ARTISTS

Anna Virnich (born 1984) lives and works in Berlin. Her practice draws on a wide range of materials and formal references. The textile tableaus however mark the centre of her multimedia practice. The approach to painting is unconventional in that it involves the rejection of painting itself in favour of textiles. It reflects on the history of its use and renounces its traditional support - the canvas - in favour of a work that wavers between the formal parameters of painting and sculpture.

Banji Chona is a Zambian storyteller based in Rome, whose work manifests across the artistic and cultural spectrum. Since 2015, the crux of her work has been channelling the need to bring to life accessible spaces and bodies of work. Chona is dedicated to fostering nuanced artistic and cultural dialogue alongside other Zambian artists within a wide range of disciplines. Her mission is the deconstruction and reconstruction of orthodox archetypes and normative ideologies through the use of dynamic multidisciplinary art.

Hugo Brazão (born 1989 in Madeira, Portugal) lives and works in London. His artistic practice covers painting, sculpture and textile and develops around the fiction/reality paradox, reimagining the material found within his research, creating different narratives around it and finding different technical possibilities for each project. He completed an MA in Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins (London, 2015) and a BA in Painting at Faculdade de Belas-Artes de Lisboa (2013).

Jan Zöller (born 1992 in Germany) lives and works in Karlsruhe. Zöller’s artistic practice incorporates not only painting but also performance, sculpture and installation. His work reflects on the topics and experiences of the young artist. Themes such as perceived romantic or transfigured questions about the future, visions and career become guiding themes – devoid of irony. Zöller studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe.

Johanna Dumet (born 1991 in Gueret, France) lives and works in Berlin. Her practice is characterized by an expressive use of color, as well as its familial and popular themes. Her work raises questions of identity, exclusion, and belonging, incorporating familiar references with promising subjects that instinctively engage herself and the viewer. Dumet’s practice is questioning the icons of our time, the consumeristic behavior associated with them, and further, its attributions to society.

Kiko Pérez (born 1982 in Vigo, Spain) currently lives and works in Madrid. His practice finds itself between painting and sculpture. Each discipline allows him to attend to different subject matters. In his paintings, he investigates the qualities of the objects and reflects upon images and their purpose. On the other hand, sculpture becomes a tool for Pérez to focus on the superficiality and interaction with the body. However, these often tend to be combined depending on the desire towards the object.

ABOUT

BLANK100 is a nomadic project supporting artistic exchange, started with the interim use of a former furniture factory in Dalston, London. Within a period of 15 months, BLANK100 hosted various exhibitions, performance events, talks and supper clubs connecting creatives from all disciplines. The concept was based on a strong belief in community and that ideas need to be given the right platform to fully unfold. BLANK100 teamed up with Craveiral Farmhouse for a long-term artist residency partnership, with new exciting projects to be realized within the coming years.

Craveiral Farmhouse is a sustainable quinta in Odemira, consisting of 38 whitewashed self-contained cottages on nine hectares of land. Known for its farm-to-table restaurant, Craveiral Farmhouse further provides four swimming pools, a well-being area, an educational farm with animals, an orchard of trees, a permaculture garden and nature centre. More than a luxury hotel, it is dedicated to leaving a positive impact on the world, providing unique experiences for guests looking to connect with nature and understand rural life.

Special thanks to the whole team of Craveiral Farmhouse for their support!

www.blank100.co.uk

info@blank.100.co.uk

Photo Credits:

1.Craveiral Farmhouse / Artist Apartments © Martin Kaufmann / 2. Anna Virnich © Valentina von Klencke / 3. Banji Chona © Banji Chona / 4. Hugo Brazão © Hugo Brazão / 5. Jan Zöller © Lukas Giesler / 6. Johanna Dumet © Manuel Wroblewski / 7. Kiko Pérez © Carlos Alvarez / 8. Craveiral Farmhouse © Martin