Deadline: 30th May 2025
Notification of Results: 30th June 2025
The Obodo Artist Fund (OAF) is a year-long funding and capacity-building initiative supporting artists and cultural producers interrogating issues of class, visibility, access, and power within African art ecosystems through a queer lens. Rooted in expansive and decolonial artistic practice, OAF encourages bold, radical ways of engaging with art, history, and community.
In 2025, OAF focuses on uplifting the work of women, queer, and allied artists whose practices explore African decolonial knowledge systems, indigenous narratives, and alternative historiographies. We recognise that knowledge production is political—and through this fund, we support creative projects that disrupt, archive, and reimagine African realities and futures.
Theme: Borders & Bodies
Borders evoke not just physical demarcations—nations, territories, and migration—but also ideological, historical, and cultural boundaries that shape who is seen, heard, and remembered. Many African histories, gender identities, and artistic expressions exist in liminal spaces, either erased or forcibly categorised through colonial and Western frameworks. Bodies center the human experience—how individuals and communities navigate space, borders, memory, and erasure. Borders & Bodies acknowledges that artistic expression, much like history, is constantly in flux, resisting containment within singular definitions or nationalized borders.
We are seeking applications from artists and cultural producers who work at the intersection of exclusion and marginalisation based on economic, gender, or sexual identity; socio-political realities including governance, protest, and civic resistance; and community resilience, indigenous epistemologies, and historical reclamation.
Funding Information
3 artists/cultural producers working in experimental or emerging mediums will receive €3,000 each to support the implementation of this collaborative production, challenging dominant narratives and exploring power, identity, and memory through speculative or documentary storytelling.
The fund is open to projects in diverse artistic disciplines, including film, multimedia, immersive art, AR/VR, soundscapes, and other experimental forms.
Eligibility Criteria
To apply, you must:
- Be based in Nigeria
- Identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ or an ally
- Work in any artistic or interdisciplinary medium aligned with our themes
- Be engaged in critical conversations on class, access, and indigenous knowledge
- Demonstrate a commitment to community, collective practice, or public engagement
Selection Criteria
Applications will be reviewed by an independent panel of artists, scholars, curators, and community leaders. Selection will be based on:
- Conceptual Strength: The project must present a clear, critical engagement with the themes of the fund.
- Innovative Approach: The proposal should challenge conventional artistic norms and contribute to new modes of storytelling and knowledge production.
- Feasibility & Impact: The project must demonstrate a realistic plan for execution and a potential for lasting cultural impact.
- Community Engagement: Preference will be given to projects that center community narratives, collective work, and radical accessibility.
Award
All selected artists will receive:
- A work grant to support the realisation of their project.
- An artist residence at the Human Rights Hub, offering a dedicated space and support throughout the incubation and artist development phase of their project.
- Workshops and training sessions covering areas such as mental health in creative work, alternative economies in the arts, archiving as resistance, and the politics of public space.
- Access to a network of established artists, curators, and scholars who will provide guidance and feedback.
- Opportunities to exhibit, publish, and participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives.
- A final exhibition, screening, or publication to highlight the cohort’s work and impact.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Can collectives or duos apply? Yes! We welcome applications from collectives and collaborative teams, provided the project aligns with our funding criteria.
- Can I apply if I’ve received funding from other sources? Yes, but you must clearly articulate how OAF funding will contribute to your project, distinct from your other sources.
- Can I propose a project that extends beyond the OAF timeline? Yes, but you must ensure that a significant portion of the project can be developed, showcased, or implemented during the grant cycle (April 2025 – Q1 2026).
- What happens after I receive the grant? Awardees will enter a structured mentorship, capacity-building, and public engagement phase, culminating in a final showcase or exhibition. You will also participate in impact reporting and documentation to track the project’s reach.
Click here to apply.
For further inquiries, contact info@obodonigeria.org