In the current local context wherein exists the scarcity of either infrastructure or opportunities for artists, #SoloMarathon is Á Space’s long-term commitment to creating more space for “young” artists to freely experiment in a studio setting and learn through displaying their works in an open-minded and critical manner. We look for practitioners who are ready to embrace challenges, widen their interested themes and media; those who are conscious of how displaying one’s work is tantamount to taking into consideration of places, local culture, audiences and their perceptions, while still having dialogues with the art community in other parts of the world.

Throughout the three years of #SoloMarathon — 2018 as a pilot project and 2019 and 2020 as the program came into being, Á Space is honoured to have accompanied more than 20 young artists in their early careers.

In this 2022 edition of #SoloMarathon, committed to supporting young artists and their experimentation, Á Space decided to make some adjustments and changes to the current structure of the program to better meet the needs of participating artists:

• Instead of a one-month residency at Á Space, selected artists will have 3 months of working at Á Space to develop a proposal for a solo exhibition, with a grant *up to 30,000,000VND* for production and exhibition-making fund, technical and professional support from Á Space’s team and advisors, access to all equipment, facilities as well as all Á’s spaces including artist-in-residence space, library, and working studios at Á.
• Selected artists will also be accompanied by an invited curator, who will assist artists in the incubation of ideas and development of the desired exhibition, as well as provide artists with professional support in the realization of their solo exhibition and related public programs (open studios, artist talks, critique sessions, etc.)
• Instead of the selection process through “open calls”, artists in this 2022 edition will be selected through an invitation from Á Space based on our belief in the potential of the on-going projects, the current status of the projects along with their financial and professional demands, as well as the compatibility with Á Space’s current capacity. 

Á Space is also very delighted to announce the participation of two selected pairs of artists-curators in our #SoloMarathon2022:

• #SoloMarathon2022 no. 1 (15/04 – 30/07/2022): Đặng Thuỳ Anh and Linh Lê
• #SoloMarathon2022 no. 2 (01/08 – 15/11/2022): Linh San and Châu Hoàng

*More detailed information on their project proposals as well as biographies of artists and curators will be updated very soon. 

#SoloMarathon2022 is organized by Á Space with support from the Prince Claus Fund. Our special thanks to curator Zoe Butt for her support of the program.