Itinera Arte Artist Residency Program
Itinera Arte Artist Residency Program
Itinera Arte is an independent platform for contemporary art based in Rio de Janeiro, dedicated to the research, education, and dissemination of artistic practices.
Founded in 2019, it operates at the intersection of education, creation, and curatorship, promoting courses, artist residencies, exhibitions, study trips, and cultural mediation programs.
The Itinera Arte Artist Residency offers an immersive and experimental environment for artists from diverse contexts and disciplines, fostering dialogue between contemporary practices and the historical and urban landscape of Rio de Janeiro. The program combines curatorial mentorship, collective exchanges, studio visits with Brazilian artists, field activities, and public exhibitions, encouraging the development of critical and collaborative processes.
Guided by its own pedagogical project, Itinera Arte conceives the residency as a space for shared learning, where artistic practice becomes an exercise in listening, reflection, and research. The program seeks to integrate practice and thought, linking critical formation, aesthetic experience, and engagement with territory.
Acting autonomously and collaboratively, Itinera Arte reaffirms its commitment to the valorization of plural epistemologies and to art as a field of thinking, encounter, and transformation.
Av. Franklin Roosevelt, 39
Rio de Janeiro-RJ
20021-120
Brazil
Residency Program Information
Residency Program Summary
Application Information
Itinera Arte Artist Residency Program 2026:
Places I inhabit, places that inhabit me
From March 5 to April 30, 2026
The Itinera Arte platform, based in Rio de Janeiro and in collaboration with Arquipélago Carioca, announces the second cycle of its international artist residency program, open to both Brazilian and foreign artists.
The residency is aimed at contemporary artists at any stage of their careers, working across a wide range of media — painting, drawing, video, performance, sculpture, installation, among others — who are interested in exchanges with professionals in the field and in direct contact with the cultural environment of the city.
Grounded in the identity of movement and displacement that defines Itinera (to travel, to transit, to wander), the program encourages the sharing of knowledge in motion, in dialogue with the living historical landscape surrounding Guanabara Bay, at the heart of Rio de Janeiro.
“Places I inhabit, places that inhabit me” invites sensitive investigations into the act of inhabiting as an aesthetic, political, and affective experience.
The residency welcomes artists interested in exploring the multiple dimensions of space — territory, city, home, or body — and the entanglements that arise from them.
Participants are encouraged to examine the places they inhabit, reflecting on how our bodies, gestures, and narratives intertwine with these spaces, granting them meaning — and, simultaneously, how these places cross through us, shape us, and inhabit us in unexpected ways.
The program aims to open a poetic and critical reflection on the experience of inhabiting, stretching the boundaries between the intimate and the collective, the ephemeral and the permanent, while exploring the poetics of everyday life as a way to perceive, understand, and imagine the spaces we occupy — and those that occupy us.
General Information:
A total of 9 artists will be selected for this edition — 7 paying participants and 2 full grantees.
Applications are open from October 10 to November 30, 2025.
Residents will receive ongoing support from the Itinera Arte team throughout the program.
This edition is curated and coordinated by Thiago Fernandes.
The residency offers each artist:
• Studio space in downtown Rio de Janeiro (25 m², equipped with a worktable)
• Weekly curatorial follow-up
• Portfolio review sessions
• Engagement with the local art scene through visits to studios, galleries, institutions, and exhibitions
• Conversations with visiting curators
• Cultural activities throughout Rio’s historic city center
• A collective exhibition at the end of the residency
Selected artists will be encouraged to fully engage with the wide range of activities promoted by the program.
The work to be presented in the final exhibition will be developed in dialogue with the Itinera Arte curatorial team.
Applicants must be able to communicate in Portuguese or English.
Application Requirements
• Portfolio
• Curriculum vitae
• Artist statement
Note 1: All applications must be submitted in Portuguese or English.
Note 2: Applicants for full scholarships must include a motivation letter explaining their interest in the program and their financial need, addressing the stated criteria.
Fee
US$ 500 per month (US$ 1.000 for the full residency period).
Brazilian artists will receive a 50% reduction on the total fee: R$ 2.000 for the entire residency (R$ 1.000 per month).
Accommodation, travel, meals, and personal expenses are not included. However, Itinera Arte provides guidance and information to help participants find partner accommodations and offers useful tips about the city.
Scholarships
Two artists will be awarded full scholarships, covering the total program fee, based on socioeconomic, racial, and/or gender criteria.
The selection committee will also consider the relevance of the applicant’s artistic background and the alignment with the conceptual framework of the residency.
Applicants for the scholarship must submit a letter of interest outlining their motivation to participate and their need for financial support, according to the above criteria.
Pre-selected residents will be contacted by December 8, 2025
US$ 500 per month (US$ 1.000 for the full residency period).
Brazilian artists will receive a 50% reduction on the total fee: R$ 2.000 for the entire residency (R$ 1.000 per month).
Accommodation, travel, meals, and personal expenses are not included. However, Itinera Arte provides guidance and information to help participants find partner accommodations and offers useful tips about the city.
Two artists will be awarded full scholarships, covering the total program fee, based on socioeconomic, racial, and/or gender criteria.
The selection committee will also consider the relevance of the applicant’s artistic background and the alignment with the conceptual framework of the residency.
Applicants for the scholarship must submit a letter of interest outlining their motivation to participate and their need for financial support, according to the above criteria.
Accessibility
The residency offers personalized curatorial follow-up, portfolio reviews, and guided visits to artist studios, galleries, and cultural institutions in Rio de Janeiro. Participants also have access to professional documentation of the final exhibition and support for local networking opportunities. The Itinera team provides assistance in finding accommodation, cultural guidance, and practical advice for navigating the city.
The residency takes place in a historic building in downtown Rio de Janeiro that is partially accessible. Artists with limited mobility can participate in most residency activities, including studio work, curatorial meetings, and collective discussions. The Itinera team provides personalized assistance and logistical support to ensure accessibility whenever possible.
The residency is located in a historic building in downtown Rio de Janeiro with elevator access and no major barriers for wheelchair users. All common areas, restrooms, and circulation spaces are accessible. The only limitation concerns the studio doorways, which measure approximately 63 cm wide. The Itinera team is available to provide personalized assistance and adaptive solutions if needed.
Housing & Accomodation
The residency is located in a historic building in downtown Rio de Janeiro, with communal spaces shared by resident artists. These include a gallery, lounge area, restrooms, and a small kitchen for coffee and snacks. The building has elevator access and partially accessible studios. Common areas encourage interaction, exchange, and dialogue among artists and curators.
Studio & Facilities
The residency offers private studios of approximately 25 m², each equipped with a large worktable and Wi-Fi access. All studios are located in the same building as the Itinera Arte gallery, in downtown Rio de Janeiro. The facilities include a shared lounge, restrooms, and a small kitchen area for coffee and snacks. Artists receive an initial orientation and ongoing curatorial and logistical support throughout the residency period.
The studios are bright, naturally ventilated spaces designed to support experimentation and process-based practices. Located in the same building as the Itinera Arte gallery, they foster dialogue among residents and easy access to exhibitions and collective activities.
