The Davidoff Art Initiative (DAI) is expanding its global Art Residency program with an annual residency for Caribbean artists or curators at Atelier Mondial in Basel, in collaboration with the Institute of Art at the FHNW Academy of Art and Design.

The new partnership will be presented during Art Basel in Basel at the Collectors Lounge (see Here Is the 2015 Exhibitor List for Art Basel in Basel and Art Basel’s Parcours to Feature a 1995 New York City Street With Teenagers).

“It is my firm belief that the Caribbean region has some of the most exciting voices in the contemporary art world today,” said Chus Martínez, head of the Institute of Art at the FHNW Academy of Art and Design.

“Yet these artists and curators are often overlooked. They demand our urgent attention. The new residency collaboration will be an important vehicle to developing a deeper and much needed cultural bridge between our respective regions,” Martínez added.

Engel Leonardo’s work at Red Gate Residency Beijing
Photo: Courtesy Red Gate Residency

There are currently two Caribbean artists taking part in the Davidoff Art Residency program: Engel Leonardo at Red Gate Residency in Beijing, and Raquel Paiewonsky at Kunstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin. DAI has also partnered with International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York.

In early 2015, DAI launched a new residency program for international artists in the Dominican Republic.

In 2012, Oettinger Davidoff AG became a sponsor of Art Basel for its Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong fairs. That same year, the luxury cigar brand launched the Davidoff Art Initiative, with the aim of supporting artists from the Caribbean and foster cultural exchanges with the rest of the world.

The region is where much of the production of Oettinger Davidoff AG and many of its employees are located.

Raquel Paiewonsky, Contenedor de ideas (2010)
Photo: Courtesy Davidoff Art Initiative