Villa Karo – Finnish Artist Residency Network

Website

Disciplines

Visual arts, Music & sound art, Literature, Performing arts, Design, Research, Handicraft, Arts journalism, Architecture, Ceramics, Media, Curating

Founded

1999

Contact information

Residency and cultural center: Benin, Grand-Popo

Office: Villa Karon ystävät
Annankatu 31-33 E 67, 00100 Helsinki
tel. +358-10-2122711
toimisto(at)villakaro.org

Accommodation and organization

Villa Karo is located in Grand-Popo, Benin, with a total of nine living and working spaces for professionals in various art fields. The center also has a small museum for collection exhibitions, a larger Musée Karo for changing exhibitions of contemporary art, a library and a multi-purpose space in Lissa Gbassa, where you can organize exhibitions, hold dance lessons, workshops, etc., or otherwise, when the multi-purpose space is free, organize your workplace in a suitable place with a sea view, and our own café, Café Karo.

Villa Karo also organizes concerts, movie nights, seminars, webinars, workshops and English lessons. Residents also have the opportunity to organize events and workshops in addition to their own work plan.

Residency

Villa Karo is a Finnish-Benin artist and researcher residence and a cultural center in Benin, West Africa. Its goal is to build a bridge between Finnish and West African artists, researchers and cultural influencers. Our primary task is to offer artists, researchers and other professionals in cultural and social fields a residency opportunity in West Africa.

You can apply to Villa Karo either in the main building, where residency activities have been running for over 20 years, or in the Villa Karo Research Center (VKRC), where residency activities have started in 2021. VKRC is located in the same courtyard and its rooms are air-conditioned and all have their own toilet and shower.

The residency package granted by Villa Karo covers:

-airport transfers Cotonou – Grand-Popo – Cotonou
-accommodation and breakfast at Villa Karo with a weekly rent of €120 or at VKRC with a weekly rent of €200
-room cleaning and laundry
-help in planning the trip and interpretation on the spot at Villa Karo

The resident’s own costs are:
-flight tickets (depending on the season and the airline €900-1500)
-office fee €200 (includes membership for one year)
-weekly rent in the residence of your choice, 120/200 € x number of weeks
-visa €100 and travel insurance
-malarial drugs and vaccinations (yellow fever vaccination mandatory)
-hotel night in Cotonou in connection with flights (around €15-50)
-possible large-scale interpreting services (e.g. for own research)

More information can be found on the website: https://villakaro.org/residency-instructions

Applications to: hakemukset(at)villakaro.org

Inquiries: toimisto (at) villakaro.org

How to apply

Residency applications are processed twice a year. The application period is continuous, i.e. you can submit an application at any time. After the application deadline, applications are processed within 3-4 weeks. You can inquire about cancellations all year round.

Deadlines for the applications are 15th March and 20th September. You can apply for the next two periods (spring or fall).

The length of the residency period is 6-12 weeks.

Residents are selected for the residency primarily based on the work plan. In applications, we especially value cooperation and interaction with Beninese and West African colleagues and the local community of Grand-Popo. However, it is not a requirement to be selected for the residency. We have started an environmental program that focuses on the themes of nature loss, recycling and climate change. The free participation of the residency’s artists and researchers in working and thinking about these themes together with our partners is especially welcome.

Artists, researchers and professionals in cultural and social fields can apply to Villa Karo. Villa Karo’s staff helps in finding contacts and organizing work.

The application (short CV and work plan) should be submitted by e-mail: hakemukset(at)villakaro.org. The application must include the information of the applicant or the work group and the desired date of the residency. Applications are evaluated by a separate board.