near. Crit Groups aim to present and discuss your “work in progress”. In a small group – accompanied by an expert and by your peers – you present, exchange, discuss your projects during a whole day. With the feedback from each photographer and from our invited guest, you can sharpen and advance the process of the photo series you are working on.

Location: Biel
Adress: Photoforum Pasquart, Seevorstadt 71–2502 Biel / Bienne
Date: Wednesday 13. March 2024
13:00 to 17:00
Participants: 4 persons / english
The group participates to the discussions, each participant has 45min-one hour at disposal for presentation and feedbacks of his/her project.

Costs: near. members 25.– (Coffee included)

Applications:
We will do a “random pick” of all applications.
Near. members have priority, and we will have a waiting list. Priority to members who didn’t participate in the last 2 crit groups (Nicolas Polli & Nadine Wietlisbach) Applications for non-members is 50.–

Registrations are only open from now to 18. Febuary 2024 at 5pm.
Application: Write an email to annatia@near.li
We will get in touch with you as soon as the registrations close, you will be given the list of participants as well as additional information for the payment.

Invited expert - Amelie Schüle, from South Germany near Switzerland and France, is a curator, programmer and cultural producer focused on contemporary photography. She values how art connects people and ideas. Since October 2023, she's the Director at Photoforum Pasquart in Biel. Before that, she worked at Foam Fotografiemuseum in Amsterdam from 2020 to 2023, leading Foam Talent, public programs and creative projects. From 2018 to 2020, she curated for Unseen Amsterdam, organizing the festivals exhibitions and public programs. She has experience with Swiss galleries like Christophe Guye Galerie, Eva Presenhuber and Hauser & Wirth. Amelie earned her master's in Curatorial Studies from Zurich School of the Arts in 2017. She's also involved in portfolio reviews, mentoring artists and teaching, showing her deep commitment to photography.

Strates, Rue de la Borde 12 - 1018 Lausanne
3-5pm

Join us for an exciting meeting with Ascanio Cecco, where we dive into the world of funding opportunities from Pro Helvetia!

This event will provide an overview of Pro Helvetia's role as a public funding organization. Ascanio will share the support strategy for photography developed from the past year and introduce the organization's new website. The format includes a presentation of Pro Helvetia’s measures for the support and funding of photography, followed by a Q&A session, giving you a practical understanding of how to navigate the Swiss funding landscape.

This event is designed as an information session, offering you a better understanding of the diverse funding options available to fuel your projects.
To cap off the day, join us for a delightful apéro, where you can unwind, network with fellow near members.

We look forward to this event with Pro Helvetia at Strates in Lausanne
Please register by writing to annatia@near.li until 27.March.If you have any specific questions or topics you are particularly interested about regarding Pro Helvetia and funding you can include this in your email.
 
Ascanio Cecco is visual arts specialist at the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, where he focuses on support and funding of photography. As a curator, he has previously participated in various exhibition projects in Switzerland and internationally, in particular with the art space Urgent Paradise in Lausanne. In parallel, he held the position of graduate assistant at UNIL, and took part in various editorial projects, including the photography magazine Transbordeur.

Image Credit: Myriam Ziehli