Maja Bekan, James Beckett and Wieteke Heldens in ISCP Spring Open Studios

Wieteke Heldens, And Still No More Color, 2018, marker on canvas, 62 × 177 in. (157.48 × 449.58 cm).

@ Courtesy of the artist and ISCP. © Wieteke Heldens

Maja Bekan, A series of unexpected incidents, 2016, theatrical event.

@ Courtesy of the artist and ISCP. © Maja Bekan

James Beckett, Palace Ruin, 2018, installation for public space, dimensions variable.

@ Courtesy of the artist and ISCP. © James Beckett

Tue, Apr 27 - Wed, Apr 28 2021

ISCP - International Studio & Curatorial Program - New York Consulate Region

On April 27 and 28, 2021, the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) presents the Open Studios Spring 2021 Program, a virtual event on Zoom with 29 artists and 2 curators from 23 countries currently participating in the residency program. Dutch and Netherlands-based artists Wieteke Heldens, James Beckett and Maja Bekan will participate.

Join ISCP for its third online event of this scale, with an updated format to share residents’ work and experiences in a lively series of short talks, screenings, performances, studio tours, and interviews in a Zoom webinar. Q&A sessions will be built into each presentation. Wieteke Heldens will present on Tuesday, April 27, 5:45 pm, and James Beckett at 8:00 pm. Maja Bekan will present on Wednesday, April 28, at 12:30 pm.

Follow this link to download a press release
Follow this link to download the full program
Follow this link for the required registration for this event with Eventbrite

Award-winning modern and contemporary art writer Aruna D’Souza will make opening remarks each day reflecting on why artists and curators should be thinking about Lorraine O’Grady. D’Souza is the curator of the artist’s first retrospective, now on view at the Brooklyn Museum.

Q&A sessions will be built into each presentation. Attendees are highly encouraged to use the chat feature to ask questions and share words of appreciation with the residents. This event will be recorded.

Group of people lie on a floor with wooden sticks next to them

Maja Bekan, Performance Class, 2017, site specific installation with light, floor intervention, paint, objects, construction elements, costumes, text and performance. Courtesy of the artist and ISCP. © Maja Bekan

About Maja Bekan

Maja Bekan’s work explores and questions mediation and delegation of artwork production. She is interested in a collaborative and social approach to explore personal histories, truths, economies and social relations. Bekan works on long-term research-based projects that involve different levels of collaboration, presented to the public in the form of performances, site-specific environments, and video/audio/text-based installations. Maja Bekan is calling upon Brooklyn residents to participate in a timely exploration of (art) work, (art) institution and (art) community, in her project (Rehearsing) Togetherness HOLD IT TOGETHER. WE HAVE EACH OTHER. Click here to view the open call. Maja Bekan has exhibited work at Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw; Kunsthaus, Graz; and Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, among others.

Four geometric sculptures are situated in a dilapidated indoor space

James Beckett, The Skeptical Structures of Max, 2019, installation, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. © James Beckett

About James Beckett

James Beckett’s work in diverse media examines subjects of a historical nature, from the development (and subsequent demise) of European industry, to the more metaphysical aspects of dowsing and voodoo. His constructions favor an obscure and rambling logic, often within a strict formalism reflecting the mechanisms of display. A sometimes-dubious approach to his subject matter entertains the historic as suspended in a state of constant re-interpretation, a portrayal of a world where anomaly and change are fundamentals. James Beckett has exhibited work at Belgian Pavilion of the Venice Biennale; MAAT, Lisbon; MCAD Manila – Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, among others.

Largescale geometric drawing in the shape of a cross, depicting bricks, leans against a wall

Wieteke Heldens, Of Course, Off Course, 2018, marker on canvas, 69 x 26 in. and 44 x 87 in. Courtesy of the artist.

About Wieteke Heldens

Wieteke Heldens‘ works primarily with painting. She uses personal experiences and thoughts and turns them into abstract concepts. Heldens creates all her work according to a self-devised algorithm by giving herself instructions based on a starting position and works towards the desired result. It is her way of getting a grasp on everything happening around us. Wieteke Heldens has exhibited work at Kunst Museum Den Haag, The Hague; Royal Palace Amsterdam; Borzo Gallery, Amsterdam, among others.

Follow this link to download the full 2021 Spring Open Studios Program

Industrial building with orange banner that reads "ISCP International Studio & Curatorial Program"

Image courtesy of ISCP

About the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP)

ISCP supports the creative development of artists and curators, and promotes exchange through residencies and public programs. Housed in a former factory in Brooklyn, with 35 light-filled work studios and two galleries, ISCP is New York’s most comprehensive international visual arts residency program, founded in 1994. Over 1,400 artists and curators from more than 85 countries, including the United States have undertaken residencies at ISCP.