Applications and Guidelines
Pro Helvetia Johannesburg promotes artistic and cultural collaboration between Switzerland and Southern Africa as well as urban centres in West, Central and East Africa. Our office acts as a link and active facilitator between artists and cultural projects from Switzerland and local artists, cultural practitioners, and partners on the subcontinent. We have strong existing partner networks particularly in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and Madagascar, and during the course of the period 2021-23 will be developing networks and programming in West, Central and East Africa.
WHAT WE SUPPORT
We support the presentation of Swiss contemporary work in the region through a variety of project formats, including tours and exhibitions. We also support projects involving transnational collaboration between artists and partners from Switzerland and the region in both geographical contexts. For individual artists and cultural practitioners, we support residencies and research trips in both directions as well as participation in critical platforms (such as conferences and symposia and the like). The new co-creation grant supports joint collaboration projects by artist tandems emerging from past residencies or research trips. For artists from the region wanting to present their work in Switzerland, we recommend viewing the complementary funding opportunities available via Artlink.
HOW WE WORK
For the presentation of Swiss or collaborative work in the region and the facilitation of residencies and research trips in both contexts, we work closely with a variety of partner organisations, promoters, curators, venues, festivals and institutions to ensure an overlap of relevance and common interest. We therefore regularly enable research/prospection trips for festival directors, programmers, curators and other cultural practitioners from Switzerland and our region, in both directions.
Projects with transnational collaboration between participants from Switzerland and the region often develop over a period of time and emerge from relationships generated through residencies and research trips.
Across all our funding support, we take into consideration the ecological footprint of international mobility and look to maximise the value of transnational exchange.
PROGRAMME FOCUS
Our programme is interdisciplinary and exploratory in nature. We welcome work and projects that test conventional definitions and boundaries with regard to audiences and institutional framing. We encourage work that forges connection between the world of the arts and other fields of inquiry and work. We also support exchanges around critical issues and questions facing artists and the arts field within the differently demanding and complex realities of the African subcontinent and Switzerland.
APPLYING FOR FUNDING
All applications are to be made via the online applications portal myprohelvetia.
Funding for artists and cultural practitioners from Switzerland
Individual artists and cultural practitioners as well as event organisers from Switzerland should refer to the relevant discipline page on the Zurich Pro Helvetia website to view the international funding support options.
Funding for artists and cultural event organisers from Southern, East, West and Central Africa
Individual artists and cultural practitioners from Southern, East, West or Central Africa may apply for research trips and co-creation grants (at any time) or residencies (either via an annual open call, or in response to other specific calls).
- HOW TO: In myprohelvetia, select the ‘Artists / cultural practitioners’ category and refer to the ‘Residencies and research trips’ funding band, which also includes co-creation grants.
Event organisers from the region (festival directors, programmers, promoters, curators, etc.) may apply for funding to present Swiss work or host Swiss artists in their platform or programme.
- HOW TO: In myprohelvetia, select the ‘Event organiser’ category and refer to the ‘Events’ funding band and the ‘Events outside Switzerland’ funding option in each discipline. Note that multi- and trans-disciplinary events can be found at the top of the ‘Events’ funding band matrix.
Publishers and literary translators from the region may apply for funding to host Swiss authors in their platform or to translate a work of contemporary Swiss literature.
- HOW TO: In myprohelvetia, select the ‘Publisher’ category and refer to the ‘International presence of Swiss authors’ and ‘Literary translations’ funding options in the Literature discipline.
