HIDE OUT studio & project space @ De Besturing
De Besturing invites you to HIDE OUT for another round of residencies!
At the heart of Binkhorst in The Hague you will find De Besturing. In its 15 years of existence, De Besturing transformed from a temporary studio complex into a sustainable community of over 40 artists artists, designers and other creative minds. Ever since the beginning, it has been run by the members themselves and dedicated to helping like-minded creatives along the way.
Since 2018 De Besturing is running HIDE OUT, a talent program, aimed at artists and designers at the start of their professional practice and offering both affordable studio spaces and guidance. The program consists of two parts: Hide Out Studio, giving a studio and mentorship for graduating students and Hide Out Project Space, providing a studio/space for exhibitions for young initiatives as well as guidance. The year 2022 marks another round of the program, now supported by the Municipality of The Hague.
Over the last years the participants of Hide Out included Gökay Atabek (2018-19), Gabriela Acha (2019-20), sWitches (2020-21) and Manon Malan (2021-22) for the Studio Program and Hgtomi Rosa for the Project Space (2019-2022).
We have spoken to some of the Hide Out alumni and here’s what they had to say:
Gabriela Acha: I had a great experience at the Hide Out space at De Bestuding. The building has a lot of shared facilities and tools and the community is very diverse and receptive. I recommend it because De Besturing provides the possibility and the space to develop new work and expand your artistic process. I am very grateful!
Manon Malan, most recent resident at De Besturing: The year has passed so fast unfortunately, my residence soon comes to an end. De Besturing is a very unique space with a super welcoming and supportive community. During the time of my residence I worked on several projects and exhibitions. It started with an Upcycling project with textile of a previous installation “Urban Garden” of mine that was displayed at Dutch Design Week Eindhoven, Group Exhibition Neck of the Woods in Rotterdam, Soft Barricade installation at Nest in The Hague with MA Artistic Research.
Hide Out is a place where you can get your hand dirty and work uncompromised on a large scale. You are surrounded by diverse machines and loads of professionals from whom you can always get advice. In the winter it is a cold place, but at the end of the day, there is a sauna that will warm you up again! And in the summer it is nice and hot and you can jump in the water for a refreshment! It’s an old industrial factory that luckily got saved from being demolished or completely gentrified. It simply creates space, support and safety for professional artists.
At the moment I’m working on a light installation with 100 lamps from the city of Rotterdam. This work is also part of the Wasteland exhibition at Grey Space, with 30 artists work around waste will be presented and diverse workshops will take place between 7-17 July.
Here’s some more information on the two programs themselves:
[ Hide Out Studio ]
This program offers a 16 m2 studio space for a student, free of charge, for the period of one year. The student is selected by a committee of members of De Besturing after an open call. The participant agrees to a contract of 12 months and a monthly fee of 30 euros to cover the expenses for electricity, water, internet and garbage.
The program has existed since 2018 but recently it has been updated. First of all, the studio is moved. The student studio is now located on the third floor (309). And there are changes to the program course too! As of September 2022, the participant will be assigned two coaches. The coaches provide guidance to ensure an effective stay and make the most out of the network and facilities De Besturing has to offer. At the end of the contract period a permanent studio is offered if all parties agree and based on availability. There is a special discount of 50 euro for the first year after graduation.
When the 12 month student residency ends, the participant will be offered a permanent studio space depending on availability. The year after graduation De Besturing offers a special discount allowing artists to rent an affordable space of their own. Two of the past Hide Out Studio residents are permanent members now, proving the effectiveness of the program.
[ Hide Out Project Space ]
This program offers a 180 m2 project space to a group of recently graduated artists for the period of 3 years. The space is situated at the ground floor of Saturnusstraat 89. It has its own entrance. The rent is 1000 euros excluding heating.
The group is selected by a committee of members of De Besturing and former participants of the program. The open call is supported by Stroom Den Haag. The group consists of 4 – 6 members and has three coaches during the 3 year program. The program is designed by the group and coaches to fit the needs of the collective.
After 3 years, the new collective will be offered an independent space (based on availability) in collaboration with the Municipality of The Hague.
Hgtomi Rosa, next level
This summer marks the end of the pilot of the Hide Out Project Space and the start of a new three year program. The recent group of 6 artists forming Hgtomi Rosa have proven to be a valuable addition to The Hagues cultural scene. They have active individual practices and organise group projects such as exhibitions, performance evenings and claim their spot as an artist run initiative.
Stay up to date about their whereabouts: website | instagram
On July 4 De Besturing has launched a new Open Call for Hide Out Project Space, if you want to find more about it – go to De Besturing website or send a quick message to hideout@debesturing.nl
