Tropical Lab International Art Camp
A two-week international art camp in Singapore for a current National Art School MFA student
Application deadline Sunday November 24 2024
Residency dates Thursday 17 July – Friday 1 August 2025
Notification of outcome Thursday 5 December 2024
Residency
The nineteenth edition of the renowned TROPICAL LAB, an international art camp for art academies and institutes, will take place from 17 July to 1 August 2025 at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore.
TROPICAL LAB is an intensive and highly engaging fourteen-day event, bringing together more than 20 student-artists from various art colleges and institutions around the world. TROPICAL LAB is a real and imaginative space for student artists to research, experiment and collaborate to create contemporary artworks, regardless of medium, method and approach.
The event will include workshops, talks and seminars guided by established international and Singaporean artists culminating in an exhibition curated by LASALLE’s curatorial division, Institute of Contemporary Art Singapore at LASALLE.
The recipient of this Prize will receive:
- $1000 towards airfares & transfers
- Coverage of program registration fees
- LASALLE will cover accommodation and local travel costs in Singapore. All participants will reside at a hotel arranged by the College on a twin sharing basis.
- LASALLE will provide studio space, workshops, technical assistance as well as curatorial expertise.
Eligibility
- You must be a full time MFA1 student at the time of application, and a full time MFA2 student at the time of the residency.
- Applicant must be responsible for researching the relevant visa requirements for Singapore and preparation of these arrangements in advance.
- Participants are required to be in full attendance during this two-week period. This will include missing the first 2 weeks of S2 2025, which will be discussed with staff in advance.
Selection Criteria
The Residency will be awarded to an applicant who:
- Has displayed a high level of achievement and dedication to their practice throughout their MFA.
- Demonstrates clarity of purpose and a compelling rationale for their proposed residency.
- In the opinion of the judges, would benefit artistically from the experience at this stage of their studies.
Applications
- To be considered for selection, applicants must submit all parts of the online application form, together with required application materials, by the deadline.
- Eligible applications will be reviewed by a selection panel comprising suitable representatives of the National Art School.
Application Requirements
- A summary CV (of not more than two pages) in PDF format.
- Your most recent revised MFA Proposal (PDF format).
- A maximum of 10 images, presented in PDF format, with only one image per page. Each page should include the name of artist, title, date, medium, and dimensions. For moving image-based artists only, a high-quality video of up to two minutes presented as a single-track show reel. The panel reserves the right to not assess applications that do not include specified supporting material correctly formatted as outlined above.
- A 300 word travel proposal (PDF format): Please comment on your interest to participate in TROPICAL LAB and the ways in which you might benefit from the program, making reference to the 2025 theme: ‘Service’ (see Application Guidelines)
Referee
- All applicants are required to state the name, phone number and email address of one referee.
Conditions of Entry
- The successful applicant must abide by all the regulations of the award.
- The successful applicant is responsible for any additional costs associated with the residency.
- The selectors’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
- The successful applicant must strictly agree to abide by the conditions of LASALLE.
- The selectors reserve the right to withhold the award if in their opinion the standard of applications is insufficient to warrant awarding.
- The selected applicant will be required to maintain communication with the Residency Coordinator during the residency.
Acquittal of Residency
Post-residency, the selected applicant will be required to:
- Take part in a lecture or panel discussion about the residency to students and alumni, to a PowerPoint presentation.
- Provide high-resolution photographs and a quote of approximately 100 words that can be used by NAS for promotional purposes and in publications including the Annual Report and Yearbook.
- Submit an approximately 500-word report no later than eight weeks post-residency regarding their residency and experience.
Please email [email protected], for any inquiries regarding the application process.
Read more about TROPICAL LAB on the LASALLE College of the Arts website.
CONTACT
Lily Fenwicke
International Residencies Coordinator
+61 2 9339 8717
[email protected]
We encourage all eligible candidates to apply, regardless of whether this is your first residency application. Please contact the International Residencies Coordinator to discuss any accessibility requirements or adjustments that can be made to your application process.
NAS Alum Juz Kitson (@juz_kitson) is known for her emotionally charged, biomorphic sculptures that combine porcelain with organic materials.
See her extraordinary work now on view in her current solo exhibition `Unfolding Earth` at @cassandrabird.gallery. `Unfolding Earth` continues until 14 June.
Join Kitson for her ceramics masterclass on experimental porcelain at the National Art School 28-29 June. Book at the link in bio - limited places available.
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Images courtesy of CASSANDRA BIRD, photo by Laura Moore.
Jun 6
Opening night: The Neighbour at the Gate
Join us on Thursday 10 July for the opening night of The Neighbour at the Gate, a major exhibition at the National Art School Gallery, curated by a guest curatorium led by Clothilde Bullen (Wardandi Noongar and Badimaya Yamatji), with Micheal Do and Zali Morgan (Whadjuk Balladong and Wilman Noongar).
Bringing together newly commissioned works by leading Australian artists Jacky Cheng, Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson, Dennis Golding (Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay), Jenna Mayilema Lee (Gulumerridjin (Larrakia), Wardaman, KarraJarri), James Nguyen and James Tylor (Kaurna, Thura-Yura language region), the exhibition reckons with the echoes of immigration policies and the legacies of Colonialism in Australia, unravelling how these forces continue to shape First Nations and Asian Australian experiences and relationships.
Across various mediums and perspectives, The Neighbour at the Gate charts the entangled legacies of exclusion and resilience, drawing vital parallels between the past and present, memory and nationhood.
The Neighbour at the Gate has been made possible with the generous support of the NSW Government through its Blockbusters Funding initiative.
RSVP at the link in bio.
Jun 5
Burned trees build no homes.
Today we acknowledge World Environment Day with this work by alum Una Foster, now in the National Art School Collection.
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Una Foster, ‘Burned Trees Build No Homes’, c.1945, commercial print on paper; image courtesy the artist and National Art School © Una Foster. From the National Art School Collection.
Jun 5
This end of financial year, support the next generation of artists through the National Art School’s Pathways Program.
Your donation will be vital in helping us build a more inclusive and vibrant arts community — creating crucial pathways for talented artists to become leading international artists, regardless of their background.
Support our EOFY campaign via the link in bio and help us to break down barriers to art education.
Jun 4
Last Thursday, MFA Drawings opened their new exhibition `Dialogues` at the Library Stairwell gallery.
The Library Stairwell Gallery is a dedicated space in the Library for NAS student exhibitions. BFA 2, BFA 3 and MFA students are eligible to apply to have a show in the Gallery. Follow @nas_library for forthcoming exhibition opening details.
The exhibition features works by @beth___any_s, James Grose, Talia Knedo, @ange_bateman_art, @lennylarkin, @vickichristinapotter, @luna.gui_, @gittebackhausenart, @marramarra__, @omimccurdie, @eri_dali, Ellen McCalmont, Sailor Kenard, @ng_malla and @nikita.lelu.
Jun 2
In June, we celebrate World Pride Month. Like many other culturally significant times, it’s a month that’s meaningful to our community and the Oxford precinct we are part of.
In 2015, NAS alum Todd Fuller (@fuller_todd) sent members of the public black and white drawings depicting two men engaged in a passionate kiss. The participants were encouraged to respond to the image by colouring in the figures, with the resulting images compiled by Fuller into a mixed media video animation.
Fuller gifted this work to the National Art School Collection, a collection that performs a major role within the National Art School as both a teaching resource and a historical record. Visit our website to find out more about the works in our collection.
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Todd Fuller, ‘The Unite Project - 3rd generation ‘, 2015, mixed media animation, colour and sound, 13.35 mins loop; image courtesy the artist and National Art School © Todd Fuller. From the National Art School Collection - Gift of Todd Fuller.
Jun 1
