re-wiring: ‘women on the move’

In the context of the interdisciplinary scientific research project ‘RE-WIRING: Realizing Girls’ and Women’s Inclusion, Representation, and Empowerment’ funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, KU Leuven invites visual artists specializing in mural making to submit proposals for a short residency at Campus Sint-Jacob in Spring 2025. Exact length of the residency may vary depending on the selected artist’s working methods and their personal situation.

The residency, run under the heading ‘Women on The Move’, is expected to result in three artistic outputs: 1) a mural at KU Leuven, Campus Sint-Jacob in Antwerp: 2) 2-3 socially engaged, participatory, and co-creative workshops leading to the creation of the mural, and: 3) visual documentation of the process, which may include written reflections or accompanying text. The final mural should aim to challenge and disrupt gendered stereotypes related to women and migration, as well as the gendered logics underpinning the unequal organisation of society in the contexts of coloniality, global capitalism, and planetary destruction. Additionally, the mural should propose alternative relational imaginaries that are inclusive, creating space for multiplicity and difference.

We particularly welcome proposals from artists from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds. In keeping with the social history of mural making and the RE-WIRING project’s innovative ‘transformative equality approach’ to societal change, an affinity with socially engaged art and experience with participatory and co-creative methods is desirable. This could involve, for example, working with a particular migrant community to design the final mural.

The mural will be displayed indoors indefinitely at KU Leuven, Campus Sint-Jacob (SintJacobsmarkt 49-51, 2000 Antwerp).