KIBLA OASis Maribor 2026: €1,300 AI, XR and Media Art Residency — Applications Close October 19
Artistic Intelligence: where nature and technology meet
The Association for Culture and Education KIBLA (ACE KIBLA) invites applications for its second OASis residency, titled 'Artistic Intelligence – Nature and Technology', in Maribor, Slovenia. Two artists, researchers or interdisciplinary practitioners will be selected to work across heritage, ecology, energy, emerging technology and the changing relationship between the city and its natural landscape.
The programme explicitly welcomes digital and analogue practice, including artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, interactive visual arts, sound, performance and cultural theory. Originality alone is not enough: a strong proposal needs to engage with Maribor, its people and regional context rather than simply presenting an existing technical demonstration without adaptation.
Dates and eligibility: Maribor, November 19–27
The residency is scheduled for November 19–27, 2026. Applicants must be resident in a European Union Member State or a country eligible for the European Union's Creative Europe programme. Eligibility therefore depends on country of residence as defined by the call, not exclusively nationality. Artists who live outside eligible countries should not treat this as a fully open worldwide scheme.
Two participants will be selected for this short, intensive stay. Their approaches may include field-based research on local heritage, digital installations, public-facing interactive systems or collaborative encounters with residents. The organiser encourages work linking technology with social and environmental questions, while allowing artists to preserve their own distinctive ideas and processes.
What funding is provided, and what is not
KIBLA offers a gross artist fee of 1,300 euros. It separately provides a travel budget of up to 300 euros, accommodation in Maribor in a private or shared room, access to studio or workspaces, curatorial support throughout the residency, and materials or production support to be agreed in advance. Because the 1,300-euro fee is gross, applicants should not interpret it as a guaranteed net take-home payment.
The maximum travel provision is not an automatic extra fee, and the announcement does not promise open-ended production costs. Artists should ask how travel reimbursements, taxation, accommodation arrangements and agreed equipment will be handled, particularly if their proposal involves immersive hardware or substantial interactive installations.
A proposal responding to local people and landscapes
The curatorial brief invites artists to consider the passage between the industrial, ecological and cultural histories of Maribor and the city's future. A media artist could examine environmental datasets through a visual language, connect sound recordings to an interactive experience or use digital tools to interpret the local built environment. Such approaches are examples, not projects guaranteed approval.
Selection prioritizes originality, strong artistic voice and meaningful research grounded in the local social context. Applications should explain how the practitioner will engage with people and place, what medium and methodology will be used, and whether production support is required. Any community-facing activity must be feasible within the November 19–27 residency period.
Apply by October 19 with a short proposal and portfolio
Applications must be emailed to kibla@kibla.org by October 19, 2026. The required package includes a CV or detailed biography as a link or a PDF of up to 10 MB, a portfolio or website, and an artistic proposal of up to 300 words or a PDF of no more than 10 slides. The proposal should cover motivation, community engagement, artistic concept, materials, methods and production needs.
Applicants may also include an optional short video or audio work lasting no more than three minutes. A clear photograph showing the applicant's face is required for communication purposes. The OASis project page links to the call and the host KIBLA site. As the closing date is the day after this article's publication, applicants should check whether submissions remain open and send completed materials promptly.
Source: OASis project / Association for Culture and Education KIBLA, second residency call for Maribor, checked 18 October 2026. The deadline is October 19; eligible-country restrictions and actual fee terms must be confirmed before applying.