Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art

Canada-Korea Exchange and Residency Program with Centre A and RAT School of ART


Centre A (Vancouver, Canada) and the RAT school of ART (Seoul, Korea) have established a new annual exchange and residency program. This new, unique collaboration highlights the role of contemporary artists in trans-national, Asia-Canada relationship building, and creates new opportunities for cultural productivity, and the contestation and contemplation of ideas.

The RAT school of ART will host a Canadian artist or culture-maker in a residency. The selected resident will take part in RAT’s study program from March 1 to June 15, 2016. For the duration of the residency, RAT will provide the resident with free tuition as well as free accommodation in an apartment in the heart of Jongno-District, downtown Seoul. The resident will be given the opportunity to present their work, research or performances as part of the Black Sheep Lectures.

In exchange, Centre A will host an exhibition in Vancouver with one or more participants from the RAT school of ART program, between August 2 – September 3, 2016.

The resident will be chosen by a small selection jury in Vancouver, and a joint Centre A – RAT interview with the finalists. The application deadline is September 11th, 2015 with the successful candidate announced no later than September 30th. The person selected for the residency will be one who is eager to learn about Korean and East Asian history, culture and art, and who is actively interested in sharing their own interests, experiences and knowledge. Critics, curators, artists and other culture-makers are equally welcome to apply.

To apply, residency applicants should submit:

  • A comprehensive letter of interest outlining their background in art and culture making; their interest in Asian or Korean art and culture or Seoul as a city; and how it is that they imagine their participation will contribute to not only their own growth and development but to that of fellow participants in the RAT school of ART.
  • Current CV
  • A few examples of their work or a link to their website.
  • Two letters of reference.

DEADLINE: September 11th, 2015.

Please send enquiries and applications to [email protected].

Stay tuned – in Fall of this year, we will be launching a fundraising campaign to further support the initiative.

Centre A is a leading public art gallery situated in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown. Centre A’s purpose is to be an engaged participant in the ongoing production of a pluralistic and democratic society. It strives to activate contemporary art’s vital role in building and understanding the long and dynamic Asia-Canada relationship, while tackling questions of broader concern from Asian and Asian-diasporic perspectives. While playing an active role in community enlivenment and conviviality, Centre A is a culturally productive local and trans-national community building apparatus that acts as a conduit for the contest of ideas and a site for the contemplation of issues of contemporary concern.

The RAT school of ART offers a master class certificate along with a one of its kind study program in Korea. It believes that Seoul is a great city for artists. RAT facilitates exchange with artists/institutions abroad and fosters the potential of Korean art. The RAT school of ART was founded in 2014 by Dirk Fleischmann, who has been teaching art at Korean universities since 2009 and taught classes as visiting professor at Lasalle College of the Arts (Singapore) and Emily Carr University (Vancouver). Other exchange programs of the RAT school of ART include a unique collaboration with Frankfurt’s’ Städelschule coordinated by renowned artists Tobias Rehberger as well and Philippe Pirotte.

Photos courtesy of RAT school of ART.