We are very excited to introduce BRIDGE, a residency between Seoul, Helsinki, Bangkok and Marrakech!

BRIDGE was developed in response to a simple but pressing question: how can international cultural exchange move beyond short-term mobility and towards deeper, more meaningful relationships between artists, institutions and places?

The Residencies

Seoul, South Korea, September 2026 — with PBG

Artform: Photographer

Theme: Explore urban identity, memory, and the everyday realities of life in Seoul through a photographic lens. The residency invites the artist to investigate how movement, architecture, and social rhythms shape the city, creating work that connects lived experiences in Seoul with communities and perspectives in Nottingham.

About the partner: PBG is a leading contemporary art platform in South Korea, championing photography and visual artists through exhibitions, publishing, and international collaborations. With a vibrant base in Seoul, they offer artists an opportunity to engage with Korea’s dynamic art market and cultural scene.

Helsinki, Finland, October 2026 — with Helsinki International Artist Programme

Artform: Writer or Poet

Theme: Create new writing that reflects people and place, drawing on the cultural rhythms, histories, and lived experiences of Suomenlinna and Helsinki. The residency invites a deep, immersive response to local life, bridging Nordic narratives with the artist’s own context and practice.

About the partner: HIAP is one of Europe’s leading residency centres for artists and cultural practitioners, based on the island of Suomenlinna. Known for its supportive, international environment, HIAP connects residents to an active network of artists, curators, and thinkers across Finland and beyond.

Bangkok, Thailand, January 2027 — with Creative Migration (East) Foundation and its cultural & civic hub Bangkok 1899

Artform: Participatory / Co-creative Artist

Theme: Develop socially engaged and environmentally responsive projects that connect communities in Bangkok with audiences in Nottingham, exploring how everyday life, climate, and local ecologies shape shared and divergent experiences across both cities.

About the partner: Creative Migration (East) Foundation is an international arts organisation based between its anchor cities of Bangkok and Los Angeles. Its flagship space, Bangkok 1899, is rooted in cultural ecology, supporting artist residencies and public programs shaped by lived experience and local knowledge. It brings local and international communities into shared practice, exchange and collaboration across borders.

Marrakech, Morocco, March/April 2027 — with ASLNES

Artform: Mural / Public Artist

Theme: Develop a research-led public art concept rooted in multicultural public space, place and everyday life in Marrakech. The residency invites the artist to explore how mural-scale practices can be informed by culturally complex urban environments, with a focus on research and conceptual development rather than production, considering how public art might respond with care and relevance to diverse communities, and how these insights could inform future work in cities such as Nottingham.

About the partner: ASLNES is a volunteer-led and community-rooted social enterprise and think-and-do tank based in Marrakech, working at the intersection of culture, education and social innovation. The organisation supports artists working in public and civic contexts, with a strong emphasis on place-based research, social engagement and critical public practice, rather than the production of fixed artworks.

What’s Included

– Up to 1 month abroad (15 days in Marrakech) with accommodation, workspace, and local facilitation from the partner organisation.

– Up to 3-week residency at NAE in Nottingham, including a final public presentation.

– Return flights from the UK to the host city. – Daily living allowance (per diem*) for meals and incidental expenses.

– Up to £1,000 support during the NAE residency phase.