SeaPort residency program invites curators working around the Mediterranean basin. Our main objective is to create affiliations with agents of neighboring art scenes across the shared sea, unpacking issues concerning local and regional practices.
The main sites of the Seaport residency take place between Jaffa and Haifa, in recognition of their layered culture and history. The program provides insight into these two port cities' rich and conflicted context alongside an introduction to the independent local art scenes.
Each residency stay is tailored according to the invited curator’s interests: combining studio visits, professional engagements, and public lectures.
The SeaPort program was founded to enable the opportunity of a critical yet hospitable curatorial visit to Jaffa and Haifa.
Our guiding principle over the past five years is to focus on locality and regionalism as essential values. These two modes are further validated by how the SeaPort program operates- inciting meaningful encounters with artists, architects, students, and curators from nearby (port) cities.
Since the establishment of SeaPort in 2018, we have welcomed curators who focus on their work in the Mediterranean and Levant regions. As part of a week-long program, we offer intimate formats for in-depth discussions, and conversations in the framework of round tables and encourage active listening and recognition of the many narratives that create the multicultural and ethnic environment in which we work and create.
SeaPort program is based on the idea of hospitality. It does not set any expectations for a specific action, other than developing and enriching learning abilities.
Dor Guez & Yael Messer