Call for Applications: ERIAC-Villa Romana Residency Programme
Charly Bechaimont, The Taste of Blood, 2024, Photo by Nihad Nino Pušija
Villa Romana Residency in Florence for Roma Contemporary Artists 2025
For the sixth consecutive year, the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) and Villa Romana continue their collaboration to support two contemporary artists of Roma origin, through an artistic residency programme in Florence. This program provides a dedicated space for artistic research, production, and dialogue within an established international context. The residency builds on the shared commitment of ERIAC and Villa Romana to advancing contemporary Roma art practice. It offers selected artists the opportunity to focus on their work, engage in critical exchange with fellow residents and the regional art scene, and explore Florence’s historical and contemporary artistic landscape. The program aims to support the professional development of Roma artists and contribute to the broader recognition of Roma contemporary art. An international jury will review applications and select two artists for the 2025 residency programme. We encourage Roma contemporary artists to apply and take part in this opportunity for artistic development and professional visibility.
Members of the international Jury:
Elena Agudio (art historian and curator, director of Villa Romana)
Jake Bowers (ERIAC Barvalipe Academy member, journalist, producer and filmmaker)
Robert Gabris (artist, former Villa Romana resident)
Timea Junghaus (curator, art historian, executive director of ERIAC)
Maria Lind (curator, writer, educator, and Cultural Counsellor at the Embassy of Sweden in Moscow)
Schedule, Stipendium and Legal Requirements:
The residencies will take place throughout 2025, specifically in October and November, with each artist residing at Villa Romana for one month
Selected artists will be provided with a guest room at Villa Romana, offering the necessary facilities and working conditions to focus on their artistic practice and engage in dialogue with other artists.
Each artist will receive a monthly stipend of 1,000 Euros. Travel expenses to and from Florence will also be covered.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring they have the necessary legal documents, such as a valid VISA, to legally reside in Italy during the residency period.
Application Deadline:
Thursday, 20 March 2025
Jury Session:
April 2025
Eligibility Requirements:
Visual artists with self-declared Roma identity, whose work provides a special contribution to contemporary art production.
We do not require a detailed description of the planned project.
Please send your application by 20 March 2025 to eriac[at]eriac[dot]org with the subject line: 2025 Villa Romana residency application.
In the application package, please include:
Portfolio (digital, in PDF format, if possible)
Updated CV with contact details
Month of the residency you are applying for (October or November)
Self-declaration on Roma identity
Former Villa Romana Residents, International Guest Artists who participated in the program:
2024 – Charly Bechaimont and Lila Loisse
2023 – Erik Tollas
2022 – Dariya Kanti and Luna De Rosa
2021 – L’uboš Kotlar and Norbert Oláh
2020 – Robert Gabris and Małgorzata Mirga-Tas
About Villa Romana and ERIAC:
Villa Romana is a place of contemporary artistic production and of international exchange. Founded in 1905 by artists and patrons, it still operates as a non-profit association. Every year it hosts four Villa Romana award winners (this year: Jessica Ekomane, Diana Ejaita, Samuel Kortey Baah, Pınar Öğrenci), as well as international guest artists. With its programme of workshops, exhibitions, and a wide range of public events, Villa Romana strives to promote interaction between artists and the public, to engage and support different local communities and expand its international network. The current programme launched by the new director unfolds under the title: A House For Mending, Troubling, Repairing.
ERIAC was officially established on 7 June 2017, in Berlin, Germany and has a unique mandate as the first transnational organization for the recognition of Roma arts and culture. The Institute is a joint initiative of the Council of Europe (CoE), the Open Society Foundations (OSF), and the Roma Leaders’ initiative – the Alliance for the European Roma Institute. ERIAC has played a leading role in elevating Roma arts and culture on the international stage: has participated in documenta 15 and the Milan Triennale, acted as commissioner for the Roma Pavilion at the Venice Biennale on two occasions, and co-curated the Barvalo exhibition at MUCEM in 2023, which attracted over 100,000 visitors. Through these initiatives, ERIAC continues to foster Roma artistic excellence, develop emerging talent, and amplify Roma voices in contemporary visual arts.
2024 Villa Romana residents participated in a group show at ERIAC premises: CARGO – of Dust and Ashes featuring works of Charly Bechaimont (FR), Anita Horváth (HU), Lila Loisse (UK), opened on the 80th anniversary of the Roma Holocaust, to commemorate European Holocaust Memorial Day for Roma and Sinti.
You may read here about the experiences of 2023 artist in residence Erik Tollas, who refered to Villa Romana as “a house which is a home”.
Norbert Oláh, artist in residence in 2021 also shared his “Thoughts After Florence” on the RomaMoMA blog.
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