{"id":16698,"date":"2025-10-16T21:44:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T21:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/10\/16\/delfina-foundation-london-aaron-cezar-on-process-first-residencies\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T21:44:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T21:44:24","slug":"delfina-foundation-london-aaron-cezar-on-process-first-residencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/10\/16\/delfina-foundation-london-aaron-cezar-on-process-first-residencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Delfina Foundation London: Aaron Cezar On Process-First Residencies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Delfina Foundation is an independent, non-profit foundation dedicated to facilitating artistic exchange and developing creative practice through residencies, partnerships and public programming. Photo credit \u00a9 Anne Tetzlaff<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For more than 20 years, Delfina Foundation has been a cornerstone of London\u2019s art ecosystem, serving not only as a research platform for both artistic and curatorial practices but also as a catalyst for a network of collaborations that have shaped the city\u2019s creative and cultural landscape\u2014and extended well beyond it.<\/p>\n

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What sets Delfina\u2019s residency program apart from others around the world is its emphasis on a process-based experience that prioritizes research over production. Artists and curators selected for the program don\u2019t have to produce or donate work. \u201cOur residencies don\u2019t demand any kind of formal outcome from the artists or curators who take part,\u201d Aaron Cezar<\/a>, Delfina Foundation\u2019s founding director, tells Observer when we meet ahead of Frieze.<\/p>\n

Cezar\u2014who develops, curates and oversees Delfina\u2019s interconnected programs, including residencies, exhibitions and public platforms\u2014had just that morning led an orientation session for the new cohort of residents. The group included artists and curators from India, Colombia, China, Bolivia and Syria, as well as an artist traveling abroad for the first time from Portugal and another from Korea. \u201cWhenever we do these orientations, I make it very clear that they could come to London and, quite literally, do nothing,\u201d he explains. \u201cBecause for an artist, doing nothing is always doing something. It\u2019s about clearing space, allowing new ideas to enter, and creating the conditions for new directions to emerge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Portrait\"Portrait
Aron Cezar, Delfina Foundation\u2019s founding director. ALI MOHAMED<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Cezar notes, artists are often caught in relentless cycles of production. Those working with galleries may be constantly preparing work for fairs or exhibitions, while others with less market-driven practices might be teaching or collaborating with community groups. In either case, the demands are unending and the activity nonstop. The residency, by contrast, is designed to offer a way out of that cycle.<\/p>\n

Today, Delfina Foundation runs an average of 40 residencies annually\u2014including those for artists, curators and, most recently, collectors\u2014making it the largest international residency program in the U.K. Following the 2014 expansion of its premises in Victoria, London, which tripled its capacity, Delfina can now host six to eight residents at a time, offering flexible living and working space in the heart of the city for up to 12 weeks.<\/p>\n

When artists are selected and begin planning their residency, the foundation asks about their goals for their time in London. For some, that means diving into the city\u2019s archives, collections and cultural ecosystem\u2014from grassroots and non-commercial spaces to major institutions. Others, Cezar explains, arrive having been caught on the \u201chamster wheel\u201d of nonstop production and simply want a break, allowing ideas to come to them more slowly and organically.<\/p>\n

\"Audience\"Audience
The organization creates opportunities for emerging and established artists, curators and writers to position their practices within the relevant global discourse. Photo credit \u00a9 Anne Tetzlaff<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Regardless of their initial plans, the foundation makes clear that residents are free to do nothing if that\u2019s what they need, knowing they are supported financially and logistically to give them that flexibility and space. \u201cThe art world can feel overwhelming, and we want them to have the comfort and safety of being in London with their material needs covered,\u201d Cezar adds. \u201cWe work to secure funding so residents can have that kind of flexibility, to open themselves up to new ideas. That\u2019s what matters most to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notably, Delfina\u2019s residency program is broadly thematic, with curated areas of focus that explore urgent issues in contemporary art and in everyday life. These shared frameworks create a space for practitioners and researchers from around the world to confront and discuss complex topics together. \u201cWhat\u2019s important to us is this notion of artistic exchange and creating a place where creative practitioners can find common ground,\u201d says Cezar. \u201cI think we\u2019re creating a context where different forms of artistic exchange can take place. And the fact that we have an international community\u2014what you called a family of artists\u2014living together in this space makes that possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the program\u2019s most enduring themes has been \u201cPolitics of food,\u201d which has run for over a decade. \u201cWe\u2019ve hosted around 120 residencies focused on that subject, bringing together artists, curators, chefs and agronomists to explore issues around food and its politics.\u201d Another long-standing thematic undercurrent is \u201cPerformance as Process,\u201d which examines performance and performativity not just as live practices but as conceptual tools for framing questions, navigating the present and recording history. Another focus, \u201cThe Public Domain, Science\/Technology & Society,\u201d investigates shifting ideas of \u201cpublic\u201d and \u201ccommon space\u201d, particularly in relation to digital life, surveillance, privatization, security and shared ownership. Last but not least is \u201cCollecting as Practice,\u201d which became the foundation\u2019s\u2014and arguably the art world\u2019s\u2014first residency program specifically designed for collectors.<\/p>\n

\"Visitors\"Visitors
Delfina Foundation encourages critical practices in the arts and creates opportunities for public interaction, dissemination and enjoyment. Photo credit \u00a9 Anne Tetzlaff<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A residency for art collectors<\/h3>\n

The story behind this pioneering initiative, launched in 2017, is as organic as it is amusing. \u201cIt all began almost as a joke,\u201d Cezar recalls. In 2016 and 2017, Art Basel ran a crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter, and Delfina partnered with them to host a dinner in London. Among the invited guests was Belgian collector Alain Servais<\/a>, known for both his deep collecting and his critical thinking. \u201cI said to him, \u2018We\u2019re doing this dinner with Art Basel, do you want to come? We happen to have a spare bedroom at Delfina\u2014you could stay upstairs,\u201d Cezar recalls. Servais agreed but said he wanted to spend a few extra days seeing shows around London. \u201cAt the dinner, as I introduced him, I half-joked that Alain was our \u2018first collector in residence.\u2019 We all laughed about it at the table, but then we began to think more seriously about the idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the following days, he observed how Servais engaged with the artists in residence. The conversations were lively and sometimes polemical, but importantly, they were never transactional. \u201cMany of the artists had never had that kind of dialogue with a collector before\u2014one that wasn\u2019t about sales or agendas but about a shared love of art, the challenges surrounding it, and the opportunities it might open,\u201d Cezar notes. A few months later, they invited Servais back more formally for a week, and that became the seed of their first collector residency.<\/p>\n

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Residencies are at the core of Delfina Foundation\u2019s mission. Photo credit \u00a9 Anne Tetzlaff<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From there, the program\u2019s structure evolved. Initially, the goal was to create a shared space where artists and collectors could engage in dialogue. Collectors, whose professional and family commitments often limited their availability, would join for one or two weeks rather than the full 12-week residency typical for artists. \u201cWe would sit down with them and ask what they wanted to explore during their time in London,\u201d Cezar explains. \u201cThat also gave artists the chance to turn the question back on them: \u2018We\u2019re working on this project\u2014what are you working on?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Over time, the program became more intentional, inviting collectors who were considering launching new initiatives or establishing foundations. Their residencies began to be explicitly designed to expose them to different models, networks and ideas\u2014through conversations with artists and peers, behind-the-scenes institutional visits and meetings with individuals outside their usual circles.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, the program is less about the act of collecting itself and more about what collections mean in society. It asks how a private passion can be transformed into public impact,\u201d Cezar explains. \u201cThat\u2019s always the point\u2014not simply the acquisition of objects, but what those objects can signify, how they can contribute and what role they can play in the wider cultural landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

A different kind of artistic sustainability<\/h3>\n

From what Cezar has shared so far, it\u2019s clear that Delfina Foundation functions as a vital cultural platform, offering the art world something it urgently needs: open discussion and a chance to rethink sustainability, artistic production and research\u2014how to find the time and resources to make those things possible. This leads to the big question: What models is Delfina exploring to sustain all this? Clearly, it takes significant capital to make it happen.<\/p>\n

As Cezar explains, about half of Delfina\u2019s 40 annual residencies are tied to partnerships, which might involve foundations, governments or individual collectors who commit to supporting one artist from a particular country each year.<\/p>\n

On top of that, Delfina has six or seven geographic patron groups across Africa, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and, most recently, North America. \u201cThese groups are made up of individuals who contribute at different levels, and their pooled support enables artists from those regions to come to Delfina,\u201d Cezar explains. Beyond that, the foundation also maintains a structure of other patrons\u2014friends, the director\u2019s circle and their global council. Altogether, about 90 percent of Delfina Foundation\u2019s support comes from individual patrons worldwide.<\/p>\n

\"Gallery\"Gallery
An installation view of \u201cFreudian Typo, Condensed Word, Displaced Flesh.\u201d \u00a9 Tim Bowditch<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cezar acknowledges that some people often assume the \u201cCollecting as Practice\u201d program was designed to develop patrons. Yet that was never the true intention. \u201cOver time, don\u2019t get me wrong, some of the people who\u2019ve engaged with our programs have become patrons, but that\u2019s happened naturally\u2014because they gained a much clearer understanding of our work.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a key principle that has allowed Delfina to secure patrons from around the world: give them agency, and make them an active part of the platform and community. \u201cWhat\u2019s important is that our patrons have agency,\u201d Cezar emphasizes. \u201cThey\u2019re not just writing checks; they\u2019re involved in the process and feel a genuine sense of investment. That makes them our best ambassadors globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

For this reason, Cezar often prefers to describe Delfina as a family. \u201cThat really is what it feels like\u2014a family of supporters who not only champion us but also also protect and advise us when we\u2019re building new partnerships,\u201d he observes. \u201cMany patrons have grown through that network\u2014some have become resident collectors, others have joined the board.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delfina regularly organizes trips and events on an international scale to keep its global patron community engaged. Most recently, they took a group to Uzbekistan for the inaugural Bukhara Biennale<\/a>, which featured 13 Delfina alumni, including Wael Shawky<\/a>, who represented Egypt at the Venice Biennale, and Aziz Kadiri<\/a>, who represented Uzbekistan. \u201cIt was extraordinary for our patrons to see these artists, sometimes years after supporting them, and witness how their careers have grown,\u201d Cezar notes.<\/p>\n

This demonstrates the impact Delfina has had on the careers of internationally recognized artists. Residencies leave a lasting mark. Even during London Art Week, several major shows across the city<\/a> are by Delfina alumni, including Giana De Dier<\/a>\u2019s commission at the National Portrait Gallery, Lawrence Lek<\/a>\u2019s show at Goldsmiths CCA, Jane & Louise Wilson<\/a> at Bloomberg SPACE, Tacita Dean<\/a>\u2019s takeover of Frith Street Gallery, Ahmet \u00d6\u011f\u00fct\u2019s project at Stratford Station as part of the London Underground commissions, Basel Abbas<\/a> & Ruanne Abou-Rahme<\/a>\u2019s presentation at Nottingham Contemporary and Karan Shrestha<\/a>\u2019s work at the Wellcome Collection\u2019s \u201cThirst: In Search of Freshwater\u201d group show.<\/p>\n

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An installation views of \u201cFarah Al Qasimi: Abort, Retry, Fail.\u201d \u00a9 Tim Bowditch<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the nonprofit\u2019s most anticipated alumni shows will be staged in Delfina Foundation\u2019s own space: Maxwell Alexandre<\/a>\u2019s first U.K. institutional exhibition, \u201cA Sanctuary and A Shadow of Its Walls,\u201d opening on October 17. Following his solo at Palais de Tokyo years ago\u2014and amid rising market demand for his work\u2014the show marks a pivotal moment in his trajectory and a significant evolution in his practice. The exhibition will feature newly commissioned paintings on pardo paper alongside site-specific scenography, as Alexandre continues his exploration of Black figuration but shifts focus from the vibrant scenes of the favela where he grew up to a more sociological and political investigation of everyday life inside Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, a prestigious multi-sports club in Rio de Janeiro. The presentation contemplates the nuances of seeking sanctuary, probing its fragile borders while subtly revealing power dynamics and addressing stark wealth disparities across social classes.<\/p>\n

Alexandre was a Delfina resident in 2018. Yet, as Cezar clarifies, the exhibition program is separate and not necessarily tied to residency. \u201cIt isn\u2019t the automatic outcome of being here, but rather a stepping stone for alumni at another point in their career,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe often invite artists who were residents two, four or even five years earlier to return for an exhibition when the timing is right. For some, like Alexandre, this is often their first show in London, the U.K. or even in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes an exhibition grows out of ideas first developed during a residency. Still, Cezar emphasizes the importance of maintaining the distinction: residencies have no expected outcomes, while exhibitions are structured with clear timelines and budgets. \u201cWe nurture those projects over a longer duration than a residency would allow, so the artist can produce something they\u2019re genuinely proud of, without the immediate pressure of production that often defines the residency experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

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An installation view of \u201cAna Bidart: Long Before the Walls.\u201d \u00a9 Tim Bowditch<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Delfina Foundation\u2019s beginnings<\/h3>\n

The London nonprofit was founded by Delfina Entrecanales<\/a> (1927-2022), a Spanish-born philanthropist and passionate arts patron who passed away at the age of 94. \u201cI had the pleasure of starting Delfina Foundation with her 18 years ago, in October 2007, so we\u2019re just about to mark our 18th birthday,\u201d Cezar says, recalling how she was famous for saying, \u201cI collect artists, not art.\u201d For her, it was always about the relationships she forged with artists more than the objects. \u201cShe used to say, \u2018I\u2019ll spend more time with a person than I\u2019ll ever spend with a painting\u2019\u2014and that really defined her view,\u201d Cezar explains.<\/p>\n

Entrecanales was born in Spain in a period marked by conflict and upheaval and came of age under Franco\u2019s regime. In the late 1940s, after World War II, her father sent her to London to prevent her from being educated under a fascist system. She eventually settled there after marrying an Englishman, but it was only decades later\u2014at the age of 62\u2014that she founded her first formal nonprofit to support artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wasn\u2019t really a collector herself, though she inherited Spanish Impressionist works from her father, who was both an engineer and a collector, and founded the company Acciona,\u201d Cezar explains. From her father, Entrecanales inherited a love of the arts, but her own focus was never on building a collection. Instead, she directed her energy toward people.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the eldest in her family, she had long taken responsibility for caring for others, and when artists and intellectuals arrived in exile in the U.K., she offered them support. Her early efforts focused on musicians, including the British artist Robert Wyatt<\/a>, whom she backed at her farm in Wiltshire by providing them with space and encouragement. In time, this commitment expanded to visual artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Delfina Studio Trust founder Delfina Entrecanales with studio artists in Stratford in 1993. Delfina Foundation<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Delfina Foundation grew out of the Delfina Studios Trust, which Entrecanales founded in 1988 to provide subsidized studios for London artists and an international residency program in a renovated jeans factory in Stratford, and later in a former chocolate factory in Bermondsey\u2014today White Cube\u2019s Bermondsey space. Delfina Studios quickly became a cornerstone of the Young British Artists movement. Sonia Boyce<\/a>, who would go on to win the Golden Lion in Venice in 2024, was among its first residents, and the studios also supported figures such as Tacita Dean, Mika Rottenberg, Urs Fischer and Wade Guyton. By the time Delfina Foundation was established in 2007, Entrecanales\u2019s influence was already deeply embedded in the history of contemporary art.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Delfina has become both a participant in contemporary art history and a connector for London\u2019s art scene. Its role, Cezar explains, has been shaped through partnerships that extend opportunities for residents beyond the foundation itself. For example, Delfina has maintained a decade-long fellowship with Tate, currently hosting two curators in residence, and has collaborated with the V&A, The Showroom and Chisenhale Gallery, among others. Through these relationships, international artists have been able to enter the programs of major London institutions, positioning Delfina as a stepping stone and contributor to the broader cultural fabric of the city.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Delfina has helped sustain the connection between London\u2019s art ecosystem and the global art scene. While the foundation does not impose geographic limits and presents itself as a global program, it has since its founding built deep relationships and played a key role in supporting artists and cultural practitioners from underrepresented regions such as the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Its mission is to foster mutual international critical discourse through programming, encouraging understanding through artistic practice and exchange.<\/p>\n

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Delfina Foundation fosters mutual understanding via artistic practice and exchange. Photo credit \u00a9 Anne Tetzlaff<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis creates a very unique environment, and I think it speaks both to London\u2019s international appeal and to the way we\u2019ve worked to create a safe space for different conversations to take place,\u201d Cezar explains, emphasizing how cultural exchange has always been a part of their mission\u2014finding commonalities across different artistic practices and histories, even when those histories can be traumatic. \u201cAnd we can\u2019t ignore the fact that our residency is situated in London, a city that was once the head of a world empire and later part of the European Union. It\u2019s a city that contains enormous layers of memory, history, archives and resources. Artists come here to interrogate those legacies, to entangle themselves in that history and often to work through their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Cezar anticipates that Central Asia will become another primary focus for Delfina, as the region has long been underrepresented in its program. North America is also emerging as a priority, though for different reasons. From its inception, the residency sought to be a safe space and a haven for artists, initially concentrating on practitioners from the Middle East and North Africa in the aftermath of September 11, when global divisions were acutely felt. \u201cDelfina helped build an East-West dialogue through art,\u201d Cezar asserts.<\/p>\n

Today, however, with freedom of expression increasingly under threat in many parts of the world, he sees it as urgent to extend support to artists in North America and other regions to continue the intercultural dialogue and exchange that Delfina has long fostered and protected.<\/p>\n

More in artist residencies<\/h3>\n

\t\t\t\t\"No<\/p><\/div>\n