Open Call 2018 - Artists-in-Residence - AADK Spain

AADK Spain is an artist-run platform that develops spaces for research and contemporary creation. With a focus set on experimental processes, its primary interest is to explore the notions of body, territory, and spatiality.

The platform advocates the decentralization of culture and the access to contemporary art in non-urban areas. It addresses local issues as means to understand global problems.
Currently based in Centro Negra (Blanca, Murcia) it holds several programs among which its Artistic Residencies stand out.

As a team, we believe that all artists we host are an active part of our platform. Therefore, we foster networks with other cultural and artistic enterprises, helping to promote their mobility at national and international circuits.


History of the project

AADK Spain is an extension of Aktuelle Architektur Der Kultur, a collective of three artists founded in Berlin in 2006. Back then, Abraham Hurtado (Spain), Jochen Arbeit (Germany) and Vania Rovisco (Portugal) gathered to develop artistic and curatorial projects with the purpose of weaving networks and delineating new cultural circuits.
For six years, they organized events and actions in different parts of Berlin, activating new venues and reflecting upon the borders of established art practices.

In 2012 Abraham Hurtado returned to Spain and with the collaboration of the artist Juan Conesa launched Centro Negra, he conceived this building as a space for research and creation. In its early years, a series of site-specific interventions, temporary residences, concerts, workshops are developed. All guest artists work based on context and community.

In 2015 Elena Azzedín joined the platform to collaborate in the conceptualisation and implementation of the current Artistic Residencies. Besides her role as curator, she developed complementary programs and contents such as conferences, workshops, exhibitions, festivals, and even a pilot for a radio show.

Last, in 2017 Selu Herraiz joins the project with Sonora, School of experimentation. promoting a musical pedagogy based on creation, promoting new forms of learning and contemporary thought through sound experimentation.

Since 2012, AADK Spain has welcomed more than 300 artists from all continents and has gained recognition among numerous national and international institutions.