Pilotenkueche

The residency is not very selective and you can find fellow artist of different levels. However, the staff is friendly and the city is beautiful. The studio spaces are amazing. Is a good residency if you manage to find a funding and if you are proactive in contacting the local galleries.

There are both advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, it provides a great experience to meet other artists and live in the city of Leipzig for three months. However, it can be quite costly if funding cannot be obtained. Additionally, there are many other residencies available in Europe with lower fees or funding. Therefore, it may be beneficial to explore other options.

as a local artist there are no costs. for internationals there is a fee.

The greatest strength of the residence is the shared studio, large, bright and with the right amount of privacy. In my opinion the cost is too high - it includes the studio, various organized activities and the final exhibition, but no living arrangements. Good participation of local people in the open studios and the exhibition, very little contact with external galleries or curators.

Pilotenkueche is excellent for having a shared studio space to meet international artists in a new environment. I loved being in the studio and getting inspired by such diverse practices. I believe the work I created to be some of my strongest works, and I was lucky to have one of the large studio spaces. I think that was the aspect I cherished the most: the studio space and the people I met! However, I wish the program offered more professional advancement to our practices. Our program days were not focused on meeting people from the Leipzig art community or facilitating many studio visits or introductions. Since we were unfamiliar with this art scene, having that would have been beneficial. Our consultations felt more technical based on our open studios and final group exhibitions. Instead, I was expecting more mentorship and critique; this was listed in their services. (But considering that this is also an emerging curator program, this could change for each round) Our final exhibition was underwhelming, with a very small turnout. I'm used to group exhibitions always being very successful, at least having one important person attending, and being filled with art professionals to network with. However, it seemed that there were primarily friends and family and not many people to engage in discussions about my work. I would recommend this residency if you're an artist looking for inspiration and making new international connections. I wouldn't recommend it as an artist residency to propel your career forward.

A big group of team to make an amazing 3-months-experience! 10 international artists, 2 local artists, 4 interns, 2 invited curators, and 2 organizers (Julianne and Maeshelle). I really loved getting lots of feedbacks and input from these wonderful and diverse group of professionals and they documented the whole growth journey of artists really well with in-depth interview, which is published on their blog, and photos. Potluck lunches on every Friday gives a home-like warm feeling and you get to share your culinary culture with the group. Weekly activities were fun and engaging also. It could be a bit of hassle to find an accommodation that is affordable and close enough to the studio, but the studio space is humongous and interesting with the industrial and artistic vibe. I really loved my stay for 3 months and the organizing team is so sweet and helpful. Leipzig is a very interesting city also. Definitely recommend to come and explore! You get a free entrance ticket to some big museums and galleries as a PK (Pilotenkueche) resident too.