The 2026 NOLA/NYC Research Fellowship by ARCAthens represents a vivid testament to how transnational artistic mobility catalyses the expansion of conceptual boundaries, as it invites Greek visual practitioners and curators to recontextualise their practice through immersive residencies in New Orleans, New York City, and Sag Harbor, encouraging not only research but also prolonged exposure to socio-cultural heterogeneity; this year's fellows, Dionisis Christofilogiannis, a multidisciplinary artist and academic whose background spans from mechanical engineering to fine arts pedagogy, and Vicky Tsirou, a curator committed to examining the commons, spatial politics, and ecological entanglements, embody the dual ethos of the programme: rigorous theoretical inquiry and situated artistic experimentation; while Christofilogiannis’ transdisciplinary gaze and teaching practice at The American College of Greece anchor his research within a structural aesthetic grammar, Tsirou’s academic trajectory—rooted in architecture and critical theory—foregrounds curatorial practices as spatial activism and discursive intervention, weaving environmental and communal concerns into art infrastructures; a particularly illustrative example is Tsirou’s exploration of participatory methodologies and the activation of public space, juxtaposed with Christofilogiannis’ interest in industrial design histories and their translation into visual language, both of which will be developed further through institutional collaborations in the US context; meanwhile, the fellowship’s critical scaffolding is upheld by an experienced jury panel, including William Pittman Andrews of the Ogden Museum, known for fostering narratives of the American South, and Scout Hutchinson of the Parrish Art Museum, who brings a nuanced curatorial perspective on materiality and form; moreover, the inclusion of prior fellow Maro Michalakakos, whose oeuvre probes mortality and existential liberation through material poetics, signals the program’s commitment to long-term fellow engagement, and the recent board appointment of Chelsea Guerdat, whose curatorial range spans continents, cements the initiative’s global intent; this fellowship, then, is not merely a logistical support mechanism, but an evolving architecture of relational aesthetics, critical reflection, and institutional memory, setting a precedent for how fellowships might construct transcultural dialogues rooted in deep research rather than surface-level exchange.
