It was during the preview week of the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013 that we officially launched Residency For Artists On Hiatus (RFAOH). While our first call for applications went online, we were also standing around the entrance of Giardini handing out small brochures in English and Italian to invite international art-enthusiasts to quit the art world and join RFAOH.  It was also during that week we heard from Tehching Hsieh, that he would generously accept our request to be on RFAOH’s “advisory board” – we were absolutely thrilled!  Since then, we have managed to run RFAOH – a virtual residency available to artists who, for one reason or another, are not currently making or presenting art – for three terms, and hosted 19 amazing international resident artists-on-hiatus, with an incredibly wide-range of backgrounds, circumstances, and “on-hiatus” projects.

This year, we are returning to Venice during the preview week of the 57th Venice Biennale, to celebrate Tehching’s representation at the Taiwanese Pavilion, as well as the nearing end of our 2016/2017 residency term where our five remaining residents are still busy being on hiatus from art. 

If you are interested in meeting us in person between May 9 – 13 in Venice – to discuss the limits and liminalities of professionalism in the arts, or talk about “who’s the real winner this year” or “who needs a boat that big” over a glass of prosecco – please feel free to contact us.  And, make sure to say hello if you see us around, running between pavilions or sipping cafe, or at Tehching’s reception or talk, in our famous RFAOH Tshirt! 

If you are not yet familiar with Residency For Artists On Hiatus (RFAOH), please check out other pages and our past and current residents’ rocking reports on this RFAOH site. A full description of the project can also be downloaded here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Shinobu Akimoto / Matthew Evans
RFAOH Co-directors