The network is selective rather than comprehensive, enabling it to stay focused in a crowded field. There are more than 200 artists’ residencies listed, and there are as many different types of residency as there are structures. Residencies represent a sort of economy and form of recognition for artists, but they are also important as opportunities to make work and some in particular stand out for their ability to create a framework that supports artistic creation.

They can be in the mountains, like Les Capucins, in the little town of Embrun in the Hautes-Alpes, or in a natural park in France’s eastern region of Lorraine, at the contemporary art center La Synagogue de Delme. ‘When you’re there, you’re far away from everything: You have storks, the pond, and the forest. Artists take advantage of being totally immersed in a protected, natural environment, and draw inspiration from it, whatever project they’re working on. That’s what we’re able to offer,’ explains Benoît Lamy de la Chapelle, the director in Delme. This residency is considered a launchpad for emerging artists’ careers. In 2015, Julien Creuzet, who was only just starting out, produced a film in which the park’s storks play a starring role. At these two centers, over the course of eight to 12 weeks, those selected receive funding, allowing them to think of and write up future projects. ‘It’s the ideal retreat,’ says Solenn Morel, who manages Les Capucins. ‘It’s really a moment of respite from the typical constraints that an artist faces.’

Sometimes, the setting allows access to specialized tools, like at CIRVA (International Center of Glass and Plastic Arts) in Marseille, where experienced glass blowers take on the fantastic ideas dreamed up by artists carrying out research into glass. In a similar vein, in spring 2023, Frac Picardie in Amiens will launch a residency entirely dedicated to animation techniques, in collaboration with the Paris gallery and studio Miyu Productions.

At the Fondation Fiminco, ‘the artists are guided by a workshop leader who helps them with different practices: It’s also a collective learning process which allows them to test and experiment with things,’ explains Katharina Scriba, the director of the venue. In an old industrial site in Romainville, north-east of Paris, which has been transformed into a cultural hub, technical know-how is on offer, with workshops in engraving, ceramics, and even a video department. All this is available to the 12 artists who stay there for almost a year working on research projects, creation, and production. The artist Chloé Royer, who arrived in September 2022, is thrilled to be able to experiment with so many techniques, as well as the freedom the residency affords. ‘Fiminco offers a huge range of possibilities, it’s a real playground. In 11 months I’m going to be able to try out all of the workshops.’ As a sculptor, she has been experimenting with ceramics, along with photography, and is working on a video for her final work.

Soizic Pineau is a freelance writer based in Marseille.

English translation: Catherine Bennett.

Caption for full-bleed images, from top to bottom: 1. LUMA Arles. © Iwan Baan. 2. Installation view of group show ‘Pirouettes’, Frac Picardie, Amiens. Courtesy of the artists and Frac Picardie. 3. Atelier 3, view of Artagon Pantin by Clémence Rivalier, 2022-2023 resident. Courtesy of the artist and Artagon Pantin. 4. View of KADIST, 2022. Photograph by Aurélien Mole. Courtesy of KADIST. 5. LUMA Arles. © Iwan Baan. 6. View of the centre d’art contemporain – la synagogue de Delme. Photograph by Oh Dancy. Courtesy of centre d’art contemporain – la synagogue de Delme.