Jobs and opps

NAN in conversation with Matt Roberts Arts

In June 2009, Matt Roberts Arts was granted a NAN Go and See bursary to travel to Sweden and Denmark for research and development.  Artists’ Networks Coordinator Emilia Telese talks to Matt Roberts of Matt Roberts Arts about the bursary and its impact on his organisation:

ET: Matt, tell us about your organisation.

MR: Matt Roberts Arts is an artist-led organisation formed in December 2006.  Our open submission exhibition was first staged in July 2007, and now runs annually. We have also held exhibitions in London, Leeds and Tel Aviv. Simultaneous to our curatorial activities, we provide regular professional development advice and work experience opportunities

ET: What did you want to achieve through your NAN bursary?

MR: We wanted to travel to Sweden and Denmark to discuss our long term interests in cultural difference, and the Uncanny.  We discussed local and regional ideas of the strange, and supernatural  and talked about potential artists we could work with. We also wanted to bring a selection of young Scandinavian artists to our new Project space in Vyner Street for a residency and exhibition in 2011.

ET: What did you find out during your trip?

MR: We learned that artist-led practice in Denmark and Sweden is just as varied, fluid and transient as in the UK, however as there are less people pursuing careers in the arts opportunities are more accessible.

ET: What do you think will be the effect of your NAN bursary for your group in the long term?

MR: We hope to return to Scandinavia to build further links with artists groups and studio groups in the near future, and would like to engage with the artists-led fairs alt-cph or supermarket. Also, we are planning to host a residency for Scandinavian artists in Summer 2011 facilitated by these groups and partners.

See Matt Roberts’s NAN profile on www.a-n.co.uk/nan/organisation/51977

First published: a-n.co.uk January 2010