Jing He and Bas Kosters selected for Arita residency

20 June 2023

general impression

What stood out in this round is how many applicants took a fresh approach to the work period. Although the residency is primarily intended for research and material development on the basis of ceramics, applicants increasingly tie their development plans to social issues.

The following applicants have been selected:

Jing He (summer 2024)

With Remake Goro Tayu Shozui, designer Jing He aims to study the history and craftsmanship of Arita ceramics. During the work period, Jing He intends to create new narratives, identities and objects regarding Goro Tayu Shozui, a Japanese ceramist or Chinese immigrant from the seventeenth century. The designer intends to collect narratives and objects by interviewing the local population or inviting them for a dialogue. The second part of the work period will be devoted to experimenting with making ceramics based on the research results, and to organising a presentation and discussion.

Bas Kosters Studio (autumn 2024)

Designer Bas Kosters intends to use the residency for his project We are all here. Kosters discovered ceramics as a material in 2022, at the EKWC (the European Ceramic Work Centre). During a three-month work period, Kosters created a series of glazed objects using various techniques. In Arita, Kosters can also gain knowledge and experience pertaining to porcelain. By working with a new technique, in a new setting for the designer, Kosters expects to find room for experimentation, a new work method and a new visual idiom. The goal is to create a series of objects with which to address various research questions concerning form, meaning, use of colour, and background. Collectively, the objects will tell the story of We are all here: a project in which Kosters stands up for people’s freedom and their right to be themselves in society.

assessment

The proposals consisted of a portfolio, CV, development plan and the applicant’s motivation letter. Headed by the chair Robert Jan Verhagen (Mondriaan Fonds), advisers Iris Ruisch (committee member Internationalisation programme), Guus Kusters (Mondriaan Fonds) and Maria Roosens (Mondriaan Fonds) assessed to what extent the proposals were consistent in terms of goal and set-up, and in line with the objectives of this Open Call. The Committee favours plans that benefit Arita and that are aimed at experimentation, research and collaboration within the knowledge and context provided by Arita. The assessment was conducted similarly to a tender, with two proposals preferred over the others.

contribution

Jing He and Bas Kosters will each receive a grant of € 11,000 to help cover travel expenses, material and transportation costs, and subsistence costs.

background

The Creative Industries Fund NL and the Mondriaan Fonds together issued the sixth Open Call Residency Arita 2024 in March 2023. The ceramics region of Arita offer a place to work and live for two periods a year. One designer and one artist can stay here at the same time to perform research in artistic and technical respects. Experimenting and developing one’s own work are pivotal. The overall goal is to create a valuable exchange between Japanese porcelain products and Dutch designers and artists. The Mondriaan Fonds received 27 applications and selected the artists Magali Reus and Mirthe Kluck.