Breath is Tide x ArtExplora Festival

In the framework of a long-term collaboration with Art Explora Festival touring across the Mediterranean region, TAP nominates one artist for each stop-over of the festival for a fully funded residency hosted by curatorial allies and institutions across the Festival’s journey.

In a landscape of relentless crises, where cultural life in Lebanon remains deeply shaken, these cross-residencies provide artists with breathing spaces – a moment of respite – without the expectation of production or a final outcome.

As part of the festival, Art Explora and the Island Club introduce a Crossed Residencies Programme, in collaboration with around 15 international residencies and cultural institutions across the Mediterranean basin. Supported by the Creative Europe programme, this project supports contemporary creation from a transdisciplinary perspective and builds a solid, interdependent network of cultural partners throughout the region.

Vartan Avakian (Lebanon), multimedia artist and member of the Arab Image Foundation. His practice reimagines human narratives and explores materiality through varied media. Represented by Kalfayan Galleries, Athens-Thessaloniki, and Marfa’ Projects, Beirut. Residency hosted at Vila 31 in Tirana, Albania.

Nathalie Harb (Lebanon), multi-disciplinary artist and designer whose work addresses well-being and spatial justice, challenging notions of home, shelter, and agency through diverse practice formats, including public interventions, installations, and scenography. Residency hosted at the KAMOV residency in Rijeka, Croatia.