Zineb Sedira | Atelier Calder, Tours, France
April–July 2025
Established in 1989 in the studio and home of Alexander Calder in the Indre-et-Loire Valley, Atelier Calder is the oldest residency program of its kind in France. Designed by Calder and built in 1962, the studio favors a simple and functional aesthetic, integrating the space with the natural environment. International artists are invited to live and work on the property for three months, receiving technical and financial support as well as a living stipend to realize artistic projects that might otherwise prove daunting.
Since its inception, the Atelier Calder has hosted over sixty international artists-in-residence, including Marina Abramović, Carlos Amorales, Darren Bader, Rosa Barba, Beatriz Cortez, Los Carpinteros, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Mark Dion, Trisha Donnelly, Tara Donovan, Jimmie Durham, Rochelle Goldberg, Rachel Harrison, Jeppe Hein, Tarik Kiswanson, Tadashi Kawamata, Žilvinas Kempinas, Haroon Mirza, Ernesto Neto, Martin Puryear, Tomás Saraceno, Jessica Stockholder, Sarah Sze, Aki Sasamoto, Monika Sosnowska, and Haegue Yang. Many of the artists have gone on to gain international acclaim and exhibit at major institutions following their residencies.
Atelier Calder is governed by a Board of Directors, which oversees the residency program and the artist selection process. Led by Laurent Le Bon, president of the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, the Board is comprised of art historians, curators, and members of the French Ministry of Culture (DRAC Centre), the Région Centre, and the Calder Foundation.
Zineb Sedira (b. 1963; lives and works in Paris, London, and Algiers) explores themes of migration, the act of telling, and the biases inherent in official narratives. Her practice, which spans photography, sculpture, installation, and performance, draws inspiration from the artist’s personal history as well as a broader interest in transit in all its forms. For Sedira, making art is an act of resistance—against oblivion, hegemonies, and the status quo.
