Eleven NI artists awarded funding for international projects

The programme provides early-stage support for international development opportunities for individual, freelance and self-employed artists and organisations based in Northern Ireland, offering help with costs like materials, residencies and venue hire for artists. It is open to artists working across all artforms including, music, dance, drama, visual arts and literature.

Among those awarded funding are:

• Sorcha (Soso) Ní Cheallaigh,a multi-disciplinary maker, artist, and facilitator working through visual art, theatre, film, performance and installation, based in Derry~Londonderry. Awarded £5,397 to undertake a combined arts residency at Arthereistanbul, Instanbul, Turkey.

• Golden Thread Gallery, a visual arts gallery based in Belfast. Awarded £4,528 to co-curate an exhibition of Northern Irish video art in Hong Kong.

• Csilla Toldy, a Hungarian-born writer based in Rostrevor. Awarded £3,999 to conduct international research for the sequel to her novel 2024 ‘Kata’, a biographical fiction based on the life of Hungarian film star Katalin Karády.

Siobhán Molloy, Arts Development Officer: Festivals and International, at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “The aim of this programme is to support international opportunities for artists and arts organisations, which help them to develop new work and raise the profile of Northern Ireland’s artistic community.
“We are delighted to join with the British Council today to announce details of eleven awards. This investment will provide critical funding for a diverse array of hugely exciting and ambitious projects, whether that’s showcasing their work in another country, building links with artists, organisations of creative producers, or undertaking training through specialised residencies.”

Colette Norwood, Head of Arts Northern Ireland at the British Council, commented: “The Artists International Development Fund has been supporting Northern Ireland artists and arts organisations for over ten years and has offered an excellent route allowing awardees to successfully develop their creative practice and take work to new markets, audiences and countries around the world”.

John Rainey is a sculptor based in Belfast. He has been awarded £4,145 to undertake a stone carving residency in Italy. Commenting on his award he said: “This funding will support a focused period in Italy making new marble sculpture, allowing me to further develop my use of both digital and traditional carving methods. The grant provides valuable backing for the project and contributes to the growth of my work internationally. I’m grateful for this support and the opportunity it offers to push my practice forward and inform the direction of future work.”

For full details of awards made go to: www.artscouncil-ni.org/resources