Tankwa Artscape Residency, founded in 2017, is a funded annual artist residency for 10-12 national and international artists in the Tankwa Karoo, South Africa.

It is a two week residency for artists working in the fields of site-responsive sculptural art, spoken word, sound, movement and performance art. It is a unique experience in the desert for the most part using found materials, physical and vocal performance, diving extremely deep into the creative sources. 

Applications for permanent artworks are encouraged, however go through an additional selection process.  Much is ephemeral or performance based, and some of the work involves the gathering of experiences / ideas / possibilities that will translate into artworks at a later stage.

The conceptual focus is on interacting creatively with the vast environment of the Tankwa Karoo and the history, politics, ecology and culture of the place. Tankwa Artscape aims at providing a space for conscious confrontation of the artist with harsh, relatively unspoiled nature. Each artist then deals with this confrontation in an individual creative way, giving rise to artworks that render this confrontation visible, audible, touchable.

Here you can find more information on history, ecology and geology of the Tankwa Karoo.

Documentation is through video, photography and audio podcasts. We provide a group of photographers / videographers to document artworks and artistic processes.

The application fee is R250 for artists residential in continental Africa or＄25/ € 25 / R500 for International artists, to partly finance administration of the residency.