The Delfina Foundation in London, famous for its artist residencies—in which artists such as Mark Wallinger, Kenneth Anger, and Maurizio Cattelan have taken part—has started its first collector residencies as part of its “Collecting as Practice” program.
“Through residencies, new commissions, and events, the program poses urgent questions to both artists and collectors around the philosophy, psychology, and politics of collecting,” said the foundation in a statement.
The year-long program is slated to start this April, although the Belgian collector Alain Servais already completed a “test residency” at the foundation in 2016.
Throughout 2017, six collectors—Pedro Barbosa from Brazil, French collector Dorith Galuz, Sean Lu from China, Ukraine’s Luba Michailova, and Japanese collector Daisuke Miyatsu—will spend one or two weeks at the foundation’s picturesque location in Victoria, in Central London, alongside the usual curator and artist residencies which run throughout the year.
“With the global proliferation of the private museum, Delfina Foundation is interested to bring collectors into residence, alongside artists and curators, to create a critical space that examines this phenomena in contemporary art,” Delfina Foundation director Aaron Cezar told artnet News.
“This will be a unique opportunity to explore and debate the collector’s motivations, social responsibility, and vision for their contribution to the creation of cultural histories and public knowledge during a time of massive political change.”
Meanwhile, a public program developed by curator Rose Lejeune will explore the relationships between artists and collectors in a series of talks and discussions at Delfina Foundation and at the art fairs Art Brussels and Art Monte Carlo.
Subjects addressed include joint collecting, the intimate relationships that can develop between artists and collectors, the value of private museums, and the relationships between private collections and public audiences.
As part of the program, Delfina Foundation will collaborate with the V&A in a joint residency with commission Indian artist Avani Tanya in response to their South Asian collection.
It will also stage an exhibition in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre UK featuring artist Geumhyung Jeong, which will include a new performance commission.