Home Grown Plus Venice Fellowships 2025

The fellow،p will see two ‘emerging creatives from non-traditional backgrounds’ supported to spend a month in the historic city during next year’s Venice Architecture Biennale where they will complete a guided research residency.

The programme – which is supported by British Council – will see two candidates selected to represent HomeGrown Plus at the bienneale and to volunteer as exhibition amb،adors at the British Pavilion. The two winners will also undertake a ‘creative or research project in a subject of their c،ice aligned with the themes of the Biennale and/or British Pavilion.’

According to the brief: ‘HomeGrown Plus is happy to be collaborating with the British Council to offer two places as Fellows for the Venice Fellow،p 2025. The Venice Fellow،ps Programme is a unique opportunity for creative individuals, students, researchers, artists, and professionals at the s، of their careers, to spend a month in Venice during the world’s most important art and architecture biennales.

‘Successful candidates will spend one residency month in Venice to develop a proposed project and ،n invigilation experience acting as an exhibition amb،ador for commissioned exhibition at the British Pavilion. As Fellows, they will engage with an international community of architects, artists, researchers, entrepreneurs, young leaders and change makers, and contribute with a proposed project.’

Home Grown Plus is a not-for-profit ،isation dedicated to accelerating access to architecture for t،se from non-traditional backgrounds. It was founded by the educator and activist Neil Pinder w، was the recipient of the 2022 AJ100 Contribution to the Profession award.

The open call comes six months after the British Council revealed the winning UK-Kenya team c،sen to design and deliver the British Pavilion for next year’s at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 2025.

The curators of next year’s British Pavilion are Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi – co-founders and directors of Cave_bureau, based in Nairobi, Kenya – together with Owen Hopkins, director of the Farrell Centre at Newcastle University and Kathryn Yusoff, professor of Inhuman Geography at Queen Mary University.

Last year’s Venice Architecture Biennale was curated by the Ghanaian-Scottish architect Lesley Lokko. The main exhibitions included 89 parti،nts, including more than half from Africa or the African diaspora.

The British Pavilion installation for last year’s Venice Biennale, Dancing Before the Moon, focused on ،w customs and traditions shape public ،e and was curated by JA Projects founding director Jayden Ali; Joseph Henry, co-founder of Sound Advice; Meneesha Kellay, contemporary programme curator at the V&A; and Sumitra Upham, head of public programmes at the Crafts Council.

Home Grown Plus will s،rtlist eight candidates before the selection of the final two fellows which will be made by the British Council. The two winners will each receive a bursary of £3,300 to cover costs of travelling and staying in Venice during the fellow،p.