Creative Europe
Desk UK
for Culture

HOST establishes a network of 6 independently run organisations and 1 media partner, from 5 countries (Portugal, United Kingdom, Belgium,
Netherlands and France). These organisations will work collaboratively in activities within the contemporary visual arts field.
The project is primarily focused on the idea of hosting as a tool for constructing a solid European citizenship and it targets the development of
models of sustainability for small-scale cultural organisations. These core issues are questioned on a thematic program that will be fulfilled on
a diversity of co-productions, mobilizing artworks, artists and curators. Five kinds of activities will be achieved from co-production and
cooperation processes between the organisations involved: 8 exhibitions, 3 conferences, 4 publications, a digital platform and a short
documental video.
HOST explores thinking the idea of Europe through the experience of hosting and being hosted. The host of each artist will be an artists´
community, and the hosted artist will participate, by creative and critical actions, in the life of that community. The experience of working
within a community enables the creation of artistic and economical models of sustainability, since each individual contributes with its specific
skills to make things work altogether as a holistic model and an organic unity. Therefore, HOST develops a sustainable model of
collaboration based on the specific resources and strengths of each partner (i.e. space, infrastructures, artists, curatorial team, promotion
skills, etc). By doing so, HOST creates a rich pool of resources, a valuable tool to deal with the intrinsic complexity of contemporary art
practices.
HOST will extend its outreach by involving associated partners from a variety of professional sectors that will enhance access to larger
communities, fostering its promotion and maximising the accomplishment of its implementation.