Paper short abstract:

This paper introduces the concept of 'artist gaze' and returns it to the artists-in-residence on the border of Europe to explore the motivation, challenges and opportunities artists have when navigating between the art world and the society.

Paper long abstract:

Since the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the town of Narva in Northeast Estonia has been receiving increased attention as the fourfold border between East and West. Around the same time, Narva also adopted a new tourism slogan: “Narva — Europe starts here”. As Russian is spoken as mother tongue by 97% of Narva’s population, Europe(anness) does not necessarily have a positive connotation here. Yet, Narva is not a Russian city, as sometimes referred to, but a mix of different ethnicities and backgrounds.

Spectacle-seeking journalists have extensively covered the contrasting opinions of the local people regarding the aggression, re-enforcing a language-based dualism of "us" and "them". Meanwhile, local cultural institutions have been constantly working to overcome this dualism, and emphasise the border not as a divider, but a meeting point of different people and ideas.

Narva Art Residency is one of such institutions. Established in 2015 in a former industrial district, the residency has in recent years evolved into one of the most active cultural spaces in town with a strong emphasis on community engagement. This presentation is based on ethnographic research conducted among the international artists-in-residence in Narva in 2022 and 2023. Their work, inspired by and created in collaboration with the town's inhabitants reveals alternative approaches to (foreign) places and people — an artist gaze. Through participant observation, interviews and photography, I return their gaze to explore the motivation, challenges and opportunities artists have when navigating between the art world and the society.