Residency

Welcome to Little Bird International Artist Residency

Exceptional artist residency offering splendid mountain accommodation, dedicated professional support and real opportunities for long term business collaboration!

In the village of Leshten, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe.

The perfect solitude location for artists in the field of painting, photography, light sculpture and installations – with a focus on contemporary art dedicated to nature, biological world and ecology.

 

The Little Bird International Artist Residency provides an exceptional combination of great accommodation in a breathtaking mountain village and a real possibility for artistic growth and realization through long term collaboration with the Little Bird Gallery – a market oriented modern and contemporary art gallery based in Sofia with thematic focus – nature, biological world and ecology.

If you are looking for a month spent in a stunning nature setting allowing you to fully focus on your artistic projects, if you are tempted to explore exotic cultures while at the same time having a real exposure to the art world through well-organized final exhibition in a capital city as well as an opportunity for practical realization of your work, this is the perfect residency for you!

Here’s a link to the village of Leshten where the residency is based (3 hours by car from the Sofia airport): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leshten

 

What makes the Little Bird Int. Artist Residency so special and how would your experience look like?

 

Each month we invite at least one of the residents to be officially represented by the Little Bird Place Gallery and marketed in the gallery’s online platform. The Little Bird Place Gallery is the mother project subsidizing The Little Bird Int. Artist Residency. The collaboration with the residents could also include future participation in individual and / or group exhibitions in Sofia as well as involvement in other types of artistic projects and initiatives.

• Here’s a link to the Little Bird Place Gallery website: https://littlebirdplace.com/en/

• Here’s a link to the Little Bird Place Gallery online shop: https://littlebirdplace.com/en/shop/

A maximum of three to four residents are spending a month in a splendid house restored in the best traditions of the local architecture. The natural stone and wood dominated interior includes simple, yet luxury bedrooms, living room and kitchen, two fire places, astonishing terrace with a marvelous view suited for artistic studios as well as cozy multi-level yards surrounding the house which are also fully suitable to become one’s working spot. In the gallery below you can see photos of the accommodation and the immediate surroundings:

The terrace of the house is turned into three independent studios separated by linen cloth – all of them with inspiring view of the mountains, the village and the nearby city. At the same time one can choose to work outside – in one or a few of the front yards which are located at different ground levels, creating a beautiful set of possibilities for studio adaptations. The residency is well equipped with tables, easels and other necessary hardware.

During the residency you will have at least two or three consultations with professional curators, art critics and art historians. You’ll have a personal studio visit by them at least once during your stay and you’ll also have at least one video conference. Friendly and open-minded professionals who will be ready to discuss your projects, to share ideas and suggestions, to draw parallels with art history and the current artistic trends.

In addition, you will be offered a set of lectures, documentaries and other visual materials for your reference as a digital residency library which would be at your disposal 24/7.

The final pop-up exhibition will be in a gallery space in the capital of Bulgaria – Sofia. Each exhibition is becoming a social event with an audience of art lovers and specialists – an experience which could be extremely useful for the residents.

First it is the local culture. The surrounding villages represent an exciting mix of peacefully living Christians and Muslims whose life style and architecture could be both impressively medieval looking with solid stone walls and small paved streets as well as colorful and kitschy in a completely unexpected manner. It is quite surprising to see these contrasts!
The residency is just an hour and a half from the Greek seaside. When all residents are positive about the idea, we would organize a trip for you to Kavala in Northern Greece where you can spend some quality time on the beach and be back to the residency house the same evening!

• Link about Kovachevitsa – a nearby village 10 min. away by car: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kovachevitsa

• Links about Ribnovo – a nearby village with amazing culture documented by National Geographic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEditbg1VUw ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribnovo

• Link about Gotse Delchev – the nearest city with population of around 20,000 people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotse_Delchev,_Blagoevgrad_Province

• Link about Melnik – the smallest city in Bulgaria known for its wine and beautiful dune like landscapes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melnik,_Bulgaria

• Link about Kavala – a beautiful city on the northern Greek seaside (1.30 hours by car):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavala

Note: In case you’d like to travel more intensively in the region and the country, you can rent a car from Gotse Delchev at very affordable rates!

RESIDENCY FEE AND DURATION

ONE MONTH STAY AT THE RESIDENCY: 950 EURO (1 MONTH IS THE MINIMUM STAY)
FOR LONGER OR SHORTER RESIDENCY PERIODS, PLEASE, WRITE US AT RESIDENCY@LITTLEBIRDPLACE.COM
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COME WITH YOUR PARTNER OR CHILD, AGAIN, PLEASE SEND US AN E-MAIL.

THE RESIDENCY IS SUITABLE FOR ARTISTIC DUOS!

• Private room (around 15m2) in a super comfortable artists’ house with shared living room and kitchen, two bathrooms with toilets + a third independent toilet space. All utilities expenses are covered by the residency fee. Wi-fi is available as part of the accommodation. Оne staff member will always be available and easy to reach via mobile phone for daily needs. The entire house is for the artists – nobody else is living there!

• Private studio on the beautiful high view point terrace with a fascinating horizon and / or flexible outdoors studio in the front yards which are also offering a great view over the surroundings.

• Transport from Sofia to the residency in Leshten as well as from Leshten to Sofia.

• (Optional) A day trip to the Greek seaside.

• Welcome dinner with traditional Bulgarian food and drinks.

• Pop-up exhibition with your works in Sofia in collaboration with the other residents for the month.

• Opportunity for long term gallery representation by the Little Bird Place Gallery.

• 2-4 meetings with curators and / or other art specialists – at least one physical studio visit and one online meeting. Professional assistance with your work/concept/research.

• Suggestions, full practical help and tips for everything related to your stay and work, travelling and exploration of the area.

• Introduction to the Bulgarian art and culture scene as well as specific introduction to the Bulgarian modern and contemporary art scene.

• Full access to digital art library.

• Plenty of optional side activities (when additional fees apply, they are covered by the residents) – from experiencing local habits and traditions to spa and wellness.

• Great socializing areas.

• A great home indoors / outdoors cinema.

• All travelling expenses (except for the ones pointed out in the above section).

• Food expenses (there is an option for regular catering, there are a few restaurants in the village as well as a well-supplied shop. The house kitchen is fully equipped and great for cooking).

• All expenses for working materials and supplies – paints, brushes, etc. (While in Sofia we will pass through an art shop, so that you can get your first set of supplies).

• Expenses for the shipping of the works back to your home place.

• Side program, tourism and other related fees.

Important: The trip to the residency is always scheduled for the first day of the month – between 1 pm and 5 pm depending on your arrival times. In case you arrive not on the 1st, but let’s say a day before, we can assist you with accommodation by booking an independent hotel room or Airbnb for a night.

Note: The average food expenses in the village for somebody with standard eating habits is 6-8 euro per day (meaning three meals per day). You can definitely go above or below that. The kitchen in the house is great and fully suitable for cooking.

Note: There is no ATM in the village. That means once you arrive in Sofia we can go together to an exchange bureau or an ATM. Do the shops and the restaurants take payments with cards?

Note: The closest city is Gotse Delchev. It is easy to reach by car and with the help of our staff member you can visit the local museums, supermarkets, spa centers or anything else you might be looking for.

HOW TO APPLY?

1: Please, send us an e-mail at residency@littlebirdplace.com entitled Residency Application in which you have attached a brief CV, a portfolio with previous artworks and the residency application form which you can download from HERE. In 24 hours you will receive an e-mail confirmation that we have received your application.

2: After up until a week you will be informed via e-mail if you are selected to participate in the residency. In case the answer is positive, you will be expected to guarantee your place by covering 200 euro from the overall sum of 950 euro in 7 days after you receive your invoice and certificate of participation. The second part of the residency fee (750 euro) could be covered up until a month before the start of your residency period.

3: At the time of your arrival we will pick you up from the airport and will take you to the residency where we will introduce you to everything you need to know. In advance we will send you a catalog with information about all the basics – food, accommodation, travelling, etc.

Important: The trip to the residency is always scheduled for the first day of the month – between 1 pm and 5 pm depending on your arrival times. In case you arrive not on the 1st, but let’s say a day before, we can assist you with accommodation by booking an independent hotel room or Airbnb for a night.

For more information, you can contact us in advance any time!
E-mail: residency@littlebirdplace.com / Mobile: +359 888207109 / +359 897953372

Заповядайте в галерията всеки ден от 11:30 до 19:00 часа!

ул. 11 август №7, 1000 София
+359 2 426 80 80
+359 88 233 13 50
gallery@littlebirdplace.com

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