Open Call — English Version

Open Call · Grand-Bassam – Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

The value of making is here.

“La valeur du faire est ici” — Àsìkò Art School, 2027 edition

Grand-Bassam – Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Programme 3–30 April 2027

Open call closes 27 September 2026

What can art tell us about how an economy works — and how it could work differently?

What happens when the tools for artistic inquiry are not imported frameworks, but the living traditions, skills and knowledge systems of the place itself?

ABOUT THE EDITION
Across the world, artists and cultural practitioners work within economic systems shaped by extraction: the extraction of labour, materials, ideas, cultural knowledge and, too often, communities themselves. While artists frequently respond to these conditions through critique or representation, Àsìkò asks a different question. Can artistic practice itself become a model for creating value differently? Can artists generate economic, cultural and social value while strengthening the places, people and ecologies from which that value emerges?
Grand Bassam and Abidjan offer an extraordinary context in which to explore these questions. A UNESCO World Heritage town whose traditions of wood carving, weaving and textile production have sustained communities across generations sits alongside one of West Africa’s most dynamic cities, where questions of cultural economy, entrepreneurship and creative production are lived every day. Together they provide a living laboratory for investigating how value is created, circulated and sustained.
Àsìkò 2026 invites a Pan-African cohort of artists and curators to engage this context through two interlocking propositions. The first is that art can respond to economic challenges not only through commentary but through the creation of alternative models of value. The second is that local arts and craft traditions are not simply the backdrop for this inquiry; they are among its most important teachers. The knowledge held in the hands of Grand Bassam’s makers—the intelligence of materials, the ethics of care, the rhythms of slow production and the relationships between maker, community and place—forms the curriculum.
“Participants will engage with making as a form of knowledge production, and consider how local craft traditions hold important lessons about sustainability, value creation, collective responsibility and cultural continuity.”

— Programme thesis

ABOUT THE EDITION

How can artists create value without reproducing the extractive economies in which they work?

This is the question at the heart of Àsìkò 2026.

Cocoa runs through the programme as both a material metaphor and an economic argument. Côte d’Ivoire produces around forty percent of the world’s cocoa, yet much of its value has historically been realised elsewhere through processing, branding and manufacture. What changes when transformation happens here? What new possibilities emerge when value is retained within the communities that cultivate, make and innovate? Each of the practitioners at the centre of Àsìkò 2026 has addressed these questions in their own field, demonstrating that artistic practice can become a means of building regenerative economies rather than reproducing extractive ones.
Over four weeks—part laboratory, part workshop, part residency—the programme creates the conditions for making, critical dialogue and sustained exchange between a Pan-African cohort, international facilitators and the craft communities of Grand Bassam. Delivered primarily in French, with English throughout, the programme is built on the conviction that knowledge moves in multiple directions and that no single discipline or voice holds all the answers.

Global cocoa producer

Weeks in residence

Cities — Grand Bassam & Abidjan

Four strands, woven together

The 2027 edition is structured around four interconnected areas of inquiry — each a different material through which to examine the value of making. Hover or focus a strand to open it.
01

Craft

Engagement with traditional and contemporary craft practices — material knowledge, artisanal skill, environmental responsibility, and the relationship between making and community. A lens onto heritage, innovation and local economies.
02

Fashion & Textile

Fashion and textile production as a place-based creative economy. How design, production, training and entrepreneurship build sustainable ecosystems rooted in local knowledge while engaging global audiences.
03

Design

Design sits between making and circulation: it asks how materials, ideas and knowledge are transformed into objects, experiences, systems and economies. At Àsìkò, design becomes a way of thinking about value itself—who defines it, who benefits from it and how it might be redistributed.
04

Art

The connective thread throughout the programme — how artistic practice responds to economic realities, generates new knowledge, and opens possibilities for imagining alternative futures.
Craft · Fashion & Textile · Design · Art — four strips of the same cloth.

Structure

Àsìkò functions as a laboratory, workshop and residency combined — compulsory scheduled activities, five days a week. Rather than focusing solely on individual artworks, the programme prioritises process, dialogue, experimentation and collective learning, building towards a shared public outcome.

Knowledge moves in multiple directions. No single voice dominates.

FR+EN

French primary, English support

4 weeks

Lab · workshop · residency

5 days/wk

Compulsory activities

Workshop benefits

R

Access to experienced African & international artists, curators and researchers

R
Individual portfolio reviews and personal feedback sessions
R
Extended critique and discussion sessions
R
Development of writing and critical thinking skills
R
Engagement with local craft communities and practitioners
R
International networking, Pan-African exchange

Who can apply

Primarily targeted at artists, curators, writers and cultural practitioners from Africa and the African Diaspora. Priority is given to practitioners based on the continent. Applicants who have participated in Àsìkò more than once are not eligible.
Visual Arts
Photography
Film & Video
Installation
Sculpture
Painting

Ceramics

Textile & Fashion
Sound & Music
Social Practice

Performance art

Writing & Publishing
Curating
Research

Artists must be professionally active for at least three years; curators and writers, at least two.

Available for the full programme in Côte d’Ivoire, plus all mandatory online sessions.
Comfortable working in French or English, and open to engaging across the two.
Selected applicants take part in a short interview process.
Accessibility needs can be indicated directly in the application form.

Key Dates

Programme

costs

Non-resident participants

$800

resident participants

$400

Fees contribute to the programme’s operations, a modest production budget, and the final project — due by 1 March 2027 to secure your place. Accommodation is provided for non-resident participants; lunch is provided on teaching days. Limited financial support may be available for selected participants — we encourage applicants to begin exploring funding from local and international bodies as early as possible, whether or not participation is yet confirmed.

Ásíkó Art School is made possible by Teiger Foundation

Ready to make the case for making?

Complete the application form
Questions — asikoartschool@gmail.com · Instagram @asiko_artschool

FAQs

Can an early-career artist or curator apply?
Applications are open to all artists who have been professionally active for at least three years, and to curators and writers from across Africa with at least two years of experience.
Do I need an art degree to apply?
No. Applications are open to all art professionals, with or without formal art education.
Can a diaspora artist who has never lived in Africa apply?
Yes. Àsìkò is primarily targeted at artists and curators from Africa and the African Diaspora.
When do I pay the participation fee?
Selected participants pay $800 USD (non-local) or $400 USD (local), which contributes to operations, a modest production budget, and the final project. Fees must be paid by 1 March 2027 to secure your place.
Do fees include logistics?
No. Non-resident participants cover their own travel costs and living expenses during the programme. Accommodation is provided for non-resident participants, and lunch is provided on teaching days.
When should I apply for funding?

Apply for travel funding whether or not your participation has been confirmed yet, to avoid missing external deadlines.

Funding for Àsìkó Art School 2027.

Do I need to be in Côte d'Ivoire for the entire programme?
Yes — all participants must be available for the full programme in Côte d’Ivoire (3–30 April 2027), plus the mandatory virtual sessions before and after.
Do I need to list my references?
Yes. Please include the requested details for your references, as the team will contact them directly.

Funding for Àsìkó Art School 2027.

Participants are encouraged to seek funding from organisations, cultural institutions, mobility programmes, and other sources in their home countries or internationally to support the costs associated with participating in Àsìkó Art School 2027, including programme fees, travel, and living expenses. Applicants are encouraged to explore funding opportunities available to artists and cultural practitioners in their respective regions, including travel and mobility grants, cultural institutes, and international arts organisations.

As funding opportunities have different eligibility criteria and application deadlines, participants are advised to begin their fundraising and funding applications as early as possible. Importantly, we encourage applicants to apply for relevant funding opportunities even before their participation in Àsìkó Art School 2027 is confirmed, where permitted, to meet external funding deadlines. Selection for Àsìkó Art School does not guarantee funding from any of the organisations or resources identified, and participants are responsible for confirming their own eligibility and application requirements.

Several possible resources for funding for African applicants are as follows:

 

French mobility fund:

https://www.francophonie.org/soutien-la-mobilite-des-artistes-et-circulation-des-biens-culturels-8
385

Artists Contacts Funding

https://www.ifa.de/en/funding/artists-contacts/

Art Moves Africa (AMA)

https://artmovesafrica.org

The African Arts Trust (TAAT)- eligible to participants from East Africa

http://www.theafricanartstrust.org/

Africa No Filter

https://africanofilter.org/home

Création Africa

https://www.creationafrica.com

Prince Claus Fund

https://princeclausfund.nl/

University and institutional mobility funds

Participants affiliated with universities, museums, galleries, cultural organisations or research
institutions are advised to also explore institutional travel and professional development grants.

 

Goethe Institut and Institut français of respective countries

Funding for Àsìkó Art School 2027.