Zhenya Chaika.
Art Residencies. How to Cook Them
The world’s first theoretical monograph dedicated to art residencies.
Art Residencies: How to Cook Them is an innovative blend of memoir, practical guide, philosophical treatise, and culinary collection. In this unique work, curator Zhenya Chaika systematizes the elements of art residencies, presenting them in the form of an ingredient table before weaving them into twelve narratives—each representing a real or fictional residency and corresponding to a specific meal.
All photos: Ruslan Shavaleev
Zhenya Chaika (b. 1986) is a curator, researcher, and chair of the board of the Association of Art Residencies in Russia. Her academic and professional interests span philosophy, aesthetics, exhibition and residency theory, and alternative education formats. From 2012 to 2018, she curated the art residency program at the Ural Industrial Biennale and was honored with the Innovation Award.
Artist
Nina Bisyarina
Designer
Maria Subbotina
Editor
Olga Grinkrug
The meal highlights the role of numerous conditions and nuances—just as a residency is always the result of the interaction of many agents. It is important to manage the meal until the end—after all, just because the appetizers were good doesn’t mean we will successfully make it to dessert. Finally, the meal demonstrates the integrity of the infrastructure, which is so crucial for residencies. Many components are involved, and everything matters here: cooking deliciously, serving well, and creating an atmosphere.
— Zhenya Chaika, excerpt from the preface to Art Residencies: How to Cook Them
For instance, the “residency of constant movement, ” where artists travel collectively, is likened to an improvised menu based on whatever ingredients can be found along the journey. This gastronomic metaphor avoids rigid typologies while offering insights into the artistic process, covering essential themes such as engagement with space, audience interaction, collaboration, immersion in local contexts, and the perception of creative outcomes.