Folie/Culture invites you to submit your projects for the artist-in-residence program under the theme Keep this door closed!

Artiste assigné.e à résidence is a year-long initiative, running from April 2025 to March 2026. During these twelve months, an artist is invited to create around our theme Keep this door closed. The artist in residence will benefit from support and dissemination throughout the residency, but will not be confined to a specific location.

“Assigné.e à résidence” is a term used in law to describe a person who must remain in residence under surveillance. It is also a punishment that is imposed not just on convicted criminals, but on a whole range of individuals trapped in their homes for economic reasons, or because of physical or mental disability. Being an artist under house arrest is a joy and a sentence to be served for a year, during which the artist – in conjunction with Folie/Culture – is required to carry out projects wherever and however they see fit.

The artist will be invited to work with the Folie/Culture team to present an output from the residency.

KEEP THIS DOOR CLOSED. On reading this directive, the most conformist will continue on their way without questioning either its raison d’être or the entity with the power to impose it. The curious will succumb to the mystery, wondering what’s behind it. The protesters will explode the hinges, regardless of the risks… Fuck security. The crazies will think up other ways of getting in, of getting around the rules.

Folie/Culture invites the curious, the dissenting and the crazy to explore the Keep this door closed.theme in all its hinges. Behind this door, a world of questions looms. The deliberate choice to keep it closed or open it is much more than a physical act: it’s a political one. It highlights current issues of immigration and cohabitation. It calls attention to the concepts of mistrust, insecurity, individualism and segregation. This wall erected between individual property and the community leads us to reflect on notions of trust and safe space, the difficulty of seeking help, the need for comfort and connection to others. In the doorway, we catch a glimpse of those left behind, living on the margins, prompting us to reflect on their agentivity. Folie/Culture reminds us that by keeping this door closed, we protect ourselves, but we also deprive ourselves of discovering what might emerge from the unknown.

DOCUMENTS TO BE SENT TO programmation@folieculture.org:

• A schedule and a short description of the proposed project in written form (500 words), video (2 min 30 s; format: MP4 or WAV) or audio (2 min 30 s; format: MP3);
• Your artist’s approach explained in written form (500 words), video (2 min 30 s; format: MP4 or WAV) or audio (2 min 30 s; format: MP3);
• A visual dossier of no more than 10 images;
• Any additional documents relating to your residency proposal.

The selected artist will receive the following exhibition rights:

• Residency fee: $2500
• Exit presentation fee: $541
• Material reimbursement: $500
• Per diem and accommodation included for the residency event.

*Please note that the realization of the project depends on the funding granted to the organization. We expect confirmation in January 2025.

Folie/Culture encourages people from marginalized communities to submit a project. Applicants who find it difficult to provide the required material in the suggested form can contact the team to make an arrangement for the submission of a file.

For further information: programmation@folieculture.org or 418-649-0999