Link to Swedish version
Rejmyre Art Lab’s Center for Peripheral Studies invites artists to participate in a new artist-in-residence program on the theme of TROPISM. The word tropism describes how an organism responds to its surroundings - how a plant turns towards the light, how roots twist to seek water, how life continually answers to stimuli. We wish to explore how this principle can be embodied through artistic processes: what makes us grow and twist, what makes us reorient - not only in relation to the natural world, but within the shifting social and political ecologies we inhabit.
The residency artists will use our transparent dome – The Refuging Pavilion – as their workspace. The pavilion resembles a greenhouse and is located in the heart of the post-industrial glass factory village of Rejmyre, Sweden. Here, we aim to examine the potential of art to create ecologies: between people, across generations, between culture and nature. The project is curated by Jonatan Habib Engqvist and carried out in close collaboration with the Berggården nursing home and the local elementary school in Rejmyre, and is especially aimed at artists interested in engaging with participatory and relational practices.
We are looking for artists who, in various ways, wish to work with growth and vegetation - cultivation, care, and ecologies. This includes both ecological and social dimensions, where plant life can serve as both a concrete material and a metaphor for societal transformation.
Six artists will be invited over the course of two years. Each residency period concludes with an open studio in the Refuging Pavilion as well as a public presentation and seminar. The project will also be disseminated through workshops in other locations in Östergötland and through collaborations with research initiatives on health, ecology, and sustainability.
We welcome artists who wish to let their projects take root here, in the intersection between art, vegetation, and everyday human life.
RESIDENCY STRUCTURE
TROPISM is both a research and production residency. It consists of three parts:
The Ensemble - All selected artists spend one week together in Rejmyre, engaging in collective exercises, workshops, and site visits to get to know the area and each other.
Individual Residency - A nine-week individual residency in Rejmyre. As one artist departs, the next arrives. During this period, each artist develops their own project in collaboration with one of our local partners, the local elementary school (1-6th grade) or the local nursing home. The collaboration may take different forms - for example, tailored workshops based on the artist’s project or theme, or a project developed in relation to one of the partner organizations.
Exhibition - The final stage of the residency will be a group exhibition featuring all TROPISM artists, taking place in 2028.
FEES AND COMPENSATION
Each artist receives a work grant and an exhibition fee for their participation. Accommodation is provided, and travel expenses are reimbursed up to 10,000 SEK.
Compensation: Each artist receives an artist fee of 50,000 SEK (including tax) for participation (in both the ensemble week and the individual residency), plus a production budget, based on reimbursement of expenses, of up to 50,000 SEK (including tax). In addition, all artists receive 7,000 SEK (including tax) for participation in the group exhibition in Rejmyre in spring/summer 2028.
Travel: Travel costs are reimbursed up to a total of 10,000 SEK (including tax) per artist. This includes travel to and from Rejmyre (for both the ensemble and individual periods), as well as necessary travel during the residency. Bicycles are available in Rejmyre for getting around in the village.
Accommodation: Accommodation with shared kitchen and bathroom is included in the residency.
Expected On-site Presence: All artists are required to participate in the ensemble week. During the individual residency period, artists should not be away from Rejmyre for more than 5 consecutive days and no more than 14 days in total.
PERIODS
Ensemble: April 6-12, 2026. All six artists participate in a one-week ensemble period.
Individual residency:
1: 13 April - 13 June, 2026
2: 11 June - 15 August, 2026
3: 13 August - 17 October, 2026
4: 1 February - 3 April, 2027
5: 1 April - 5 June, 2027
6: 3 June - 7 August, 2027
WHO CAN APPLY?
The residency is open to professional artists working in any medium. Both Swedish and international artists are welcome to apply. A proficient level of English or Scandinavian language is recommended. NOTE: We no longer accept applications. The Open call closed December 1st, 23:59 CET.
FAQ
Made possible by funding from: