Supporting emerging artists can be one of the most challenging tasks during the artistic process, which is why the private sector is increasingly choosing to create initiatives that guide and assist others on their artistic journey. Alma Camelia, an artist from Mexico, chose this path and established LaBIAr, a project that guides and network creators through their artistic processes.
When Alma decided to initiate her project, she had a genuine vision to address the needs of visual artists, which she had encountered during her own professional development. She felt it was a fundamental need to have a platform that not only supports artists but also equips them with essential tools for professional growth. Her vision was to create an artistic imagination and research laboratory/creative mentoring program where artists could transform their ideas into tangible artistic projects with guidance and expertise from professionals in different -relevant- knowledge areas, fostering a more robust, supportive, and committed community of artists.
LaBIAr started in 2019 and operates independently, utilizing its own resources while building alliances with supporters and institutions that share its vision. A defining aspect of the program is its commitment to inclusivity, primarily targeting women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those who identify as dissidents within the art world. Alma Camelia's intention is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for artists from diverse backgrounds and identities to flourish creatively and professionally.
LaBIAR program encompasses various artistic and creative aspects. Its cores include:
• Imagination: Which serves as a space for reflection and development of creative processes, addressing sensitive, conceptual, and political aspects of art projects.
• Mental Health: This core provides emotional and mental health support through narrative practices focused on artistic creation.
• Human Body: In the program they explore the body and sound as hidden intuitions, inviting artists to deepen their connection with their physical selves.
• Materialities: This core focuses on the language of materials used in art projects, examining their relevance, possibilities, and ethical dimensions.
•Curatorship: It is dedicated to writing, reflection, and the amalgamation of artwork proposals, with a focus on art curatorship.
• Organization and Management: The module addresses the organization, management, and decision-making aspects of artistic practices, including time management and productivity.
• Connection: The program equips participants with tools for effective communication of creative content on social networks and strategies for wider reach.
Each core includes contributions from various artists and experts in their respective fields, making LaBIAR a holistic program for artists and creators.
For the edition that took place during the current year, participants experience 8 different cores of work imparted by artists as Alejandra Zamora from México, Kekena Corbalán from Argentina, Nina Fiocco from Italy, Geni Granados from Brazil, and more. The participants selected and supported by Ayarkut on this edition, were:
1. Leslie Pita, Espitall: A Mexico City native with a Graphic Design degree from the Universidad de Londres and over 8 years of experience specializing in creative design, social media content, and digital communication. Their "Lóbulo" project, now a year old, fosters a community that supports emerging artists and creators.
2. Rocío Soria-Díaz: a multidisciplinary artist whose work delves into themes of self-representation, gender, technology, and the natural world. Based in a tropical mangrove, she embraces a Latinx technovision, uniting Nature-Human-Technology in her art.
3. lejandra Flores: Visual artist and experimental painter from the State of Mexico who explores various materials and techniques.
4. Betzabee: Visual artist, a graduate of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at ENPG La Esmeralda which art delves into visual provocation, utilizing expressive discourse to address confessional themes within feminism.
5. Stefanie Vortex: Mexican philosopher and curator, anarchist, DJ, and Zine designer, Stefanie blends her diverse tastes and skills to convey the multiple messages she considers important.
6. Mariana Toff: She believes in the beauty of creation and sees art as a bridge that can be both constructed and deconstructed to form something new. Her creative process is in a perpetual state of transformation, shifting from the micro to the macro, from the visual to the conceptual.
7. Lluvia Guevara: Lluvia Guevara uses multiple digital techniques for the creation of her work, where she seeks to investigate and reflect on the body and gender through movement. With multiple exhibitions such as her showcase in the Digital Museum of Sexual Insurrection, Lluvia creates her own and collective bodily narratives with her artwork.
This educational program edition will end on September 30th of the current year, yet an open Opening Exhibition for the audience to see the work of the participants will be held during 2024.
Alma Camelia is an artist graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Design, UNAM. She is currently directing her first feature film about a human rights case in Mexico, with the support of FONCA and Mujeres Lab. She is a participant in the international summer school “Historias de resistencia'' organized by the University of Kassel, documenta Institut and Universidad del Rosario, Colombia, 2023. She was part of the XIX Photography Biennial of the Image Center, Mx, 2021 and participated in the Moving Image Biennial BIM B.A Argentina, 2018.
She has exhibited at La Enpeg La Esmeralda, National Center for Arts, Swab Art Fair, Barcelona, Material Fair, CDMX, Image Center, ACME Hall, 123 Gallery, HO-JS Gallery, Nina Menocal, among others. He obtained the Arkhé-BIM residency, Argentina, 2018, Member of the Photographic Production Seminar, SPF, Centro de la Imagen, 2017. She was awarded the State Youth Award, Cat. Painting, State of Mexico, 2010 and selected on the 16th Floor, Laboratory of Cultural Initiatives, UNAM, 2019 , with Lolita Pank. She is the creator of the Lolita Pank platform (Franziska. Moving Image Meeting, LABIAR and LolitaPankGrrr! Gallery).
For more information about LaBIAr, visit their instagram and stay aware as well of Ayarkut social media.
Supporting emerging artists can be one of the most challenging tasks during the artistic process, which is why the private sector is increasingly choosing to create initiatives that guide and assist others on their artistic journey. Alma Camelia, an artist from Mexico, chose this path and established LaBIAr, a project that guides and network creators through their artistic processes.
When Alma decided to initiate her project, she had a genuine vision to address the needs of visual artists, which she had encountered during her own professional development. She felt it was a fundamental need to have a platform that not only supports artists but also equips them with essential tools for professional growth. Her vision was to create an artistic imagination and research laboratory/creative mentoring program where artists could transform their ideas into tangible artistic projects with guidance and expertise from professionals in various relevant knowledge areas. This would foster a more robust, supportive, and committed community of artists.
LaBIAr started in 2019 and operates independently, utilizing its own resources while building alliances with supporters and institutions that share its vision. A defining aspect of the program is its commitment to inclusivity, primarily targeting women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those who identify as dissidents within the art world. Alma Camelia's intention is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for artists from diverse backgrounds and identities to flourish creatively and professionally.
LaBIAR program encompasses various artistic and creative aspects. Its cores include:
• Imagination: Which serves as a space for reflection and development of creative processes, addressing sensitive, conceptual, and political aspects of art projects.
• Mental Health: This core provides emotional and mental health support through narrative practices focused on artistic creation.
• Human Body: In the program they explore the body and sound as hidden intuitions, inviting artists to deepen their connection with their physical selves.
• Materialities: This core focuses on the language of materials used in art projects, examining their relevance, possibilities, and ethical dimensions.
•Curatorship: It is dedicated to writing, reflection, and the amalgamation of artwork proposals, with a focus on art curatorship.
• Organization and Management: The module addresses the organization, management, and decision-making aspects of artistic practices, including time management and productivity.
• Connection: The program equips participants with tools for effective communication of creative content on social networks and strategies for wider reach.
Each core includes contributions from various artists and experts in their respective fields, making LaBIAR a holistic program for artists and creators.
For the edition that took place during the current year, participants experience 8 different cores of work imparted by artists as Alejandra Zamora from México, Kekena Corbalán from Argentina, Nina Fiocco from Italy, Geni Granados from Brazil, and more. The participants selected and supported by Ayarkut on this edition, were:
1. Leslie Pita, Espitall: A Mexico City native with a Graphic Design degree from the Universidad de Londres and over 8 years of experience specializing in creative design, social media content, and digital communication. Their "Lóbulo" project, now a year old, fosters a community that supports emerging artists and creators.
2. Rocío Soria-Díaz: a multidisciplinary artist whose work delves into themes of self-representation, gender, technology, and the natural world. Based in a tropical mangrove, she embraces a Latinx technovision, uniting Nature-Human-Technology in her art.
3. lejandra Flores: Visual artist and experimental painter from the State of Mexico who explores various materials and techniques.
4. Betzabee: Visual artist, a graduate of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at ENPG La Esmeralda which art delves into visual provocation, utilizing expressive discourse to address confessional themes within feminism.
5. Stefanie Vortex: Mexican philosopher and curator, anarchist, DJ, and Zine designer, Stefanie blends her diverse tastes and skills to convey the multiple messages she considers important.
6. Mariana Toff: She believes in the beauty of creation and sees art as a bridge that can be both constructed and deconstructed to form something new. Her creative process is in a perpetual state of transformation, shifting from the micro to the macro, from the visual to the conceptual.
7. Lluvia Guevara: Lluvia Guevara uses multiple digital techniques for the creation of her work, where she seeks to investigate and reflect on the body and gender through movement. With multiple exhibitions such as her showcase in the Digital Museum of Sexual Insurrection, Lluvia creates her own and collective bodily narratives with her artwork.
This educational program edition will end on September 30th of the current year, yet an open Opening Exhibition for the audience to see the work of the participants will be held during 2024.
Alma Camelia is an artist graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Design, UNAM. She is currently directing her first feature film about a human rights case in Mexico, with the support of FONCA and Mujeres Lab. She is a participant in the international summer school “Historias de resistencia'' organized by the University of Kassel, documenta Institut and Universidad del Rosario, Colombia, 2023. She was part of the XIX Photography Biennial of the Image Center, Mx, 2021 and participated in the Moving Image Biennial BIM B.A Argentina, 2018.
She has exhibited at La Enpeg La Esmeralda, National Center for Arts, Swab Art Fair, Barcelona, Material Fair, CDMX, Image Center, ACME Hall, 123 Gallery, HO-JS Gallery, Nina Menocal, among others. He obtained the Arkhé-BIM residency, Argentina, 2018, Member of the Photographic Production Seminar, SPF, Centro de la Imagen, 2017. She was awarded the State Youth Award, Cat. Painting, State of Mexico, 2010 and selected on the 16th Floor, Laboratory of Cultural Initiatives, UNAM, 2019 , with Lolita Pank. She is the creator of the Lolita Pank platform (Franziska. Moving Image Meeting, LABIAR and LolitaPankGrrr! Gallery).
For more information about LaBIAr, visit their instagram and stay aware as well of Ayarkut social media.
Open Calls for Visual Arts Programs Providing Residencies, Scholarships, and Grants
