Call for Applications: Artistic Research Residency and Grant for a Project Related to the Archives of International Organisations in Geneva
Introduction
The Embassy of Foreign Artists residency programme is partnering with the Centre for Digital Humanities and Multilateralism at the Geneva Graduate Institute to offer a three-month artist residency to conduct archival research in the heart of international organisations based in Geneva, Switzerland.
1 Project
The archives of international organisations in Geneva form part of humanity’s collective memory. While these fragments constitute a formal record comprising reports, official correspondence, international agreements, speeches, and documentary images of a select few, they nonetheless contain the narratives of millions of human stories. Multilateral histories can also be discerned through handwritten notes, draft reports, unofficial maps, artworks, informal sound recordings, and absences.
Seen through the eyes of artists and researchers, this residency aims to transform this material and give it a new dimension. Applicants are invited to propose projects that develop novel perspectives on topics such as: (un)told human stories; intergovernmental decision making processes; multilateral successes and failures; and reimagined visions for the future of international cooperation.
Applications must relate to projects that use the archives of Geneva-based international intergovernmental or non-governmental organisations as their primary resource (such as UN Archives Geneva, the International Committee of the Red Cross Archives, etc.). Projects may, however, have links with other organisations based in Geneva and elsewhere.
2 Partners
Embassy of Foreign Artists
The Embassy of Foreign Artists (EOFA) is a cultural organisation founded in 2012 that develops artistic research programmes linked to scientific and academic fields, with a strong focus on socially engaged practices. It forges strong links with other Geneva-based organisations such as Campus Biotech and the Geneva Graduate Institute. EOFA offers personalised support for each project and is part of a network of cultural organisations to promote the visibility of projects developed by guest artists.
The organisation continues a long tradition that has made Switzerland and Geneva a haven for persecuted intellectuals and artists since the religious wars that ravaged Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. In this spirit, EOFA contributes significantly to Geneva’s cultural diversity by welcoming around a hundred artists each year, most invited by other cultural organisations—including many of Geneva’s festivals and cultural institutions.
EOFA’s spaces are warm and conducive to encounters between artists, allowing residents to form bonds that transcend mere professional relationships or the sharing of space and to foster genuine appreciation for each other’s projects. Hospitality becomes a powerful relational act in which the roles of host and guest merge, intertwine, and sometimes reverse, creating a shared space valuing the presence of each resident.
Centre for Digital Humanities and Multilateralism, Geneva Graduate Institute
The Centre for Digital Humanities and Multilateralism (CDHM) stands as a pioneering initiative, leveraging Geneva’s extensive multilateral history with new research tools and methodologies. It cultivates an interdisciplinary team to establish a global hub for applying digital humanities to diplomacy, multilateralism, and international relations. This endeavour aims to illuminate the intellectual and archival legacy of International Geneva’s ecosystem, which includes the Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID), international intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, and beyond.
CDHM’s core mission is the valorisation of archives central to the history of diplomacy and multilateralism in Geneva. Having supported the digitization of extensive collections of the UN Library & Archives Geneva, the Institute library, and related archives — including those of international organisations (IOs) and academic institutions from the Global South — CDHM is concurrently developing a virtual Portal of Multilateralism. This portal will optimise access to digitised archives through cutting-edge research tools, such as data visualisation, fostering renewed legal, sociopolitical, historical, and interdisciplinary approaches to multilateralism.
CDHM also collaborates with artists and researchers in the field of digital humanities to study and reimagine the world of multilateral diplomacy. To date, it has developed a stream of activities engaging the arts, including exploratory collaborations with artists working on visualizations of diplomatic history, contributions to digital exhibitions of intergovernmental archives, and public talks linking artistic methods with global policy discourse. As part of this collaboration with EOFA, CDHM will include the artist resident in its research network, offer guidance for accessing research materials and expertise in Geneva, and explore opportunities for research exchange with the Geneva Graduate Institute.
https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/cdhm
3 Timetable
15th of September 2026: Deadline for applications
10th of October 2026: Announcement of successful candidates on EOFA website
The exact start date of the residency in 2027 is subject to an agreement between the artist’s preferred date and the EOFA’s availability.
4 Budget
CHF 4,200.00 per diem, divided into three, monthly payments of CHF 1,400.
A private room with a shared bathroom, living room, and kitchen in central Geneva is also provided as part of the residency.
Applicants are responsible for securing their own funding for travel to and from Geneva, although the EoFA can provide advice for potential funding sources.
5 Application requirements
- Document 1: application form available on the page APPLY
- Document 2: Your application pack in a single PDF file containing:
- A cover letter explaining your artistic approach and its connection to the call for applications.
- As detailed a description as possible of the project to be developed during the residency.
- A portfolio of recent work
- An up-to-date CV