ArtHouse Jersey is delighted to welcome three artists of Portuguese, Polish and Romanian descent to undertake a unique multicultural residency in the Island as part of the arts charity’s brand new project ‘Home’.
Cliff Andrade from Portugal, Natalia Kalicki from Poland and Dana Olarescu from Romania have arrived in Jersey to undertake a four week period of research, learning more about the living experiences of their compatriots here in Jersey and applying their learnings to the creation of brand new
artworks to help celebrate the invaluable contribution of their respective communities to Island life. These new artworks will be gifted to ArtHouse Jersey and will form the basis of a special exhibition due to take place in May 2022 in St Helier.
The artists will also be sharing what they learn with an internationally renowned muralist (yet to be announced) who will be creating a world class, large-scale public mural which will be on display at a prominent Island location later this year.
A socially engaged project from Jersey
‘Home’ is a public art project that celebrates the contribution of Jersey’s Portuguese, Polish and Romanian communities to their Island home, offering a voice to these communities to share their experiences of living and working in Jersey.
The project seeks to address a situation that sees members of these communities feeling as though they are outside of public discourse, their huge contribution to Jersey’s success and prosperity having been inadequately recognised. In short, Home can be seen as a celebration of a modern, multicultural Jersey.
The ‘Home’ project is made up of two parts; an artist residency concentrating on socially engaged practice that culminates in an exhibition, and a large-scale mural covering a yet to be announced iconic building in St Helier.
Having worked closely with cultural organisations from Portugal, Poland and Romania, the three artists (Cliff Andrade, Natalia Kalicki and Dana Olarescu) were selected to take part in a residency in Jersey. For this part of the project each will use their socially engaged practice to learn about the lived experience of their compatriots, creating artwork that reflects the lives and aspirations of each community.
Each artist will be appealing to their respective community during their outreach work. Anyone who would like to contact ArtHouse Jersey with input for this project is asked to email [email protected] or contact the artists directly on the below mentioned email addresses.
A few words from the artists themselves…
Cliff Andrade, Portugal
“I am delighted to have finally arrived in Jersey. I am eager to begin but of course also filled with trepidation about what the next few weeks hold, how I will negotiate the island and who I will meet.
“I arrived yesterday at the exact same time as a BA flight from Madeira. I took this as a sign from the universe that things are going to go great. I have made a few good contacts in my preliminary research and I am looking forward to meeting them in the flesh over the next few days. I still need more though. Therefore, I would repeat my request that if there is anyone out there who wants to speak with me about their experience of being of Madeiran identity and growing up on Jersey, especially if they are aged 30-45 and Jersey born to Madeiran parents, that they please get in touch for an informal chat.”
Natalia Kalicki, Poland
“I am so pleased to finally arrive at the Barracks on the stunning island of Jersey. We have been very warmly welcomed at the residency and I can’t wait to begin a collaborative process, which I hope can be shared with all who are interested- or hungry. Dear reader, if you have a Polish recipe and would like to contribute to an interdisciplinary cookbook, please reach out! Zapraszam do współpracy!”
Dana Olarescu, Romania
“Though we’ve only been here for two days, the team here at Arthouse has been so welcoming and nurturing, that I already feel like the Barracks will make an incredible ‘home’ for the next six weeks. It’s brilliant to hear about the surrounding artistic community, and I look forward to discovering the island and its inhabitants.
“I will be working with fellow Romanians which feels like an immense privilege; for now I would like to make sense of how they are experiencing the island, and understand their day-to-day life here, quietly observing so I can make sense of the next steps. If any Romanian nationals would like to get in touch, please do so at [email protected]”
