Localhost promises a new strategy to the often out-of-reach artist residency

The concept of the artist residency is nothing new – an opportunity to focus one’s time on making work, trying new ideas, and often connecting with other artists. While not necessarily closing off from the rest of the world, it can be a time to free one’s self of other obligations and focus on craft, ideas, and creative breath.

But many residencies are highly competitive, have lengthy (and costly) submission details, require travel and life pauses that not everyone has the luxury of making. And the pandemic can feel like an obstacle for many artists to engage in the traditional sense. Enter Localhost - a new way of thinking about the artist residency – one that has more inclusive possibilities, and, in founder Drew Nikonowicz’ words, “comes to you….”

There’s no submission fee, no travel requirement, and each artist is paid a $125 stipend to participate.

Less than two weeks shy of the open call deadline, I spoke with Nikonowicz to learn more about the ideas behind it, some exciting work that came from the 2021 cohort, and why now, more than ever before, is the time to apply. We’ve also included some highlights from the 2021 cohort to give you a sense of the creative possibilities.

Get on it and submit today, folks!

Jon Feinstein in conversation with Drew Nikonowicz

© Drew Nikonowicz. From the series Notes From Anywhere — © Drew Nikonowicz. From the series *Notes From Anywhere*

Just one year since receiving his BFA in photography from the University of Missouri, Drew Nikonowicz has produced a prolific body of work that many would consider an accomplishment for photographers ten years his senior. In 2015, still an undergrad, the photographer snagged the coveted Aperture Prize for his series This World and Others Like It, and recently completed a one-year residency at Fabrica Research Centre in Italy.

Nikonowicz' mysterious, yet clearly defined practice explores aspects of fiction, reality and the history of photography. He shoots mostly large format black and white film, something unheard of for many photographers born after the creation of Photoshop. He imbues them with a current twist, often combining them with computer generated photographs to unite a historic technology with a contemporary one. At first glance, his pictures evoke early photographers like Ansel Adams and Edward Curtis in their monochromatic attention to the vastness of the American landscape. But while Adams and Curtis presented an optimistic, often idealized picture of promise and opportunity, Nikonowicz paints something a bit darker, layered with science fiction. I spoke with the photographer about his recent series This World and Others Like It, and its subchapter Notes From Anywhere.

Interview by Jon Feinstein

An Experimental Residency Every Artist Should Apply For Before The Year Ends...

Photographer Drew Nikonowicz Fuses Old and New Technologies to Unite Fiction and Reality