From October 3 to November 29, 2024, Franciska Anna Beļāne participated in a “CreArt” residency in the city of Clermont-Ferrand, France. During the residency, she had the opportunity to work on her project at the residency house “Chalet Lecoq”.
This was the artist’s first residency experience, which allowed her to understand what it means to wake up every morning, go to the studio, work, and dedicate all her time to what she truly wants to create.
“It was a wonderful opportunity — one that I might not be able to realize in Latvia, where there are various distractions and responsibilities. In a different environment, those fall away, and you can devote all your time to what you want to do. For me, it was both interesting and challenging — to observe myself, how I behave, what my practice looks like, what I develop on my own, and what it means for me to be an artist when I can dedicate all of my time to art,” Franciska shares.
During the residency, the artist created a plaster installation titled “I lent my words to someone and now I can’t remember who”, which was partially made on site in France and completed upon her return to Latvia. The installation consisted of several objects:
Franciska encourages artists from Liepāja to apply for upcoming residencies. Stay updated on “CreArt” open calls via the “Participation – Open Calls” section of the Liepāja 2027 website!
On October 4 at 20:00, audiences are invited to an unforgettable concert, “Rock and Organ for Liepāja”, at Liepāja’s Lutheran Church. Due to high demand, an additional concert has been announced for October 3.
In a step towards fostering international collaboration and deepening intercultural dialogue, the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, in partnership with the Japanese non-profit organisation EU-Japan Fest, is inviting Latvian photographers to apply for an opportunity of a fully funded residency in Japan as part of the internationally acclaimed project “European Eyes on Japan | Japan Today”.
On July 11, the contemporary art exhibition “Unscheduled Sandy Meeting II”, organized by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, was opened to the public at the Bertschy Hall of the Art Gallery “Romas Dārzs”. The exhibition will be on view until mid-September.