Announcing Unit London X ArtReview Writers Residency

Unit London launches writers residency in partnership with ArtReview

In March 2024, Unit London will open the Dragon Hill Residence, its inaugural artist and writers residency located in a region of the South of France historically associated with, and inhabited by, artists. In collaboration with ArtReview, Dragon Hill will welcome international artists and writers to a historic property designed by the French architect Jacques Couëlle. The residence, built in 1964, is set in a private domain near Mougins that has counted Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Yves Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Leo Castelli and many others among its residents. Artists will live and work in purpose-built studios at the residency for a period of six weeks.

As part of the Residency’s partnership, ArtReview’s editorial team will invite six arts writers to participate and live at the residence, creating an atmosphere ripe for collaborative dialogue between them and the artists. ArtReview will work closely to mentor the writers, whose work will be published on artreview.com at the end of their residency. This is a unique opportunity for artists and writers to live and work alongside one another in a partnership that is, at the time of writing, solely original in its execution. Inspired by the collaborative spirit of Couëlle, this partnership between writers and artists aims to provoke and stimulate the revered art criticism that has been synonymous with ArtReview for over 70 years.

The Dragon Hill programme adds to the region’s burgeoning ecosystem of modern and contemporary art, which includes institutions like Fondation Maeght, L’Espace de l’Art Concret, La Colombe d’Or, and the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins (MACM). The latter will be transformed into the Femmes Artistes du Musée de Mougins in the summer.

Through cohabitation and collaboration with creatives from different backgrounds, the Residency will cultivate a critically engaging environment for both artists and writers to create and develop work that is meaningful and significant for their practice and artistic journey. At Dragon Hill, the boundaries between art, architecture and nature dissolve, providing artists a sacred space to be captivated and inspired.