LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial (Gijón, Spain) and iMAL (Brussels, Belgium) are joining forces to offer a digital art research residency for a duo of artists, consisting of one Belgian and one Spanish creator.
This call is aimed at emerging Spanish artists or artists residing in Spain, who will be selected for a one-month research residency at LABoral and iMAL.
Both institutions will provide the selected artists with infrastructure, equipment, networks, contacts and advice, with the aim of promoting a co-production that strengthens collaboration between the art scenes in Spain and Belgium.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
This new edition of LABORatorium seeks to promote artistic research projects that explore the links between work and the digital world, a relationship as old as the history of computing itself. The residency invites reflection on how automation processes and techno-liberal ideologies have transformed our working and living conditions, and proposes alternative forms of resistance and cultural production in the face of these dynamics.
HO IS IT FOR?
The call is open to emerging artists. An emerging artist is understood to be someone who has begun their career in recent years and has not yet achieved full professional stability, depending largely on institutional support or collaborations for the production of their work.
Applicants through LABoral must be Spanish or resident in Spain.
The residency proposes working in pairs formed by a Belgian artist and a Spanish artist. To facilitate the creation of these pairs and encourage exchange between the two scenes, a preliminary phase has been planned in which artists can submit their individual profiles. LABoral and iMAL will put the candidates from one country in contact with those from the other, encouraging the formation of possible collaborations for the presentation of the joint project.
The programme will enable the joint development of a project at both institutions, which will each host the residency for one month: between May and July at iMAL and in June or between September and October 2026 at LABoral (specific dates to be confirmed with the selected candidates).
CALENDAR AND DEADLINES
- First phase — Formation of duos: interested artists can register their profile until 21 November 2025 at 1 p.m. CET using this form. From 25 November onwards, profiles will be shared between participants in Spain and Belgium to facilitate the creation of working pairs.
- Second phase — Project submission: the formed duos must submit their joint proposal by 22 December 2025 using this second form.
- Pre-selection will take place in January 2026 and the finalists will be invited to an online interview with representatives from iMAL and LABoral. The results will be announced in early February 2026.
CONDITIONS AND SUPPORT
Each selected artist will receive €4,000 in fees (including taxes) and the project will have a maximum of €3,000 for research expenses. In addition, LABoral and iMAL will cover travel and accommodation expenses during the residency period. The residencies will include artistic, technical and logistical support, as well as periodic reviews of the project’s development.
For any additional information or queries about the call for applications:
produccion@laboralcentrodearte.org
This artistic research residency programme is co-funded by Wallonie-Bruxelles International and the Spanish Embassy in Belgium.
