MILL'S BEAUTY / REALITY SALON
– a Needcompany fellowship

One day, in Brussels, I thought I saw ‘REALITY SALON’ emblazoned on the façade of a beauty parlour. It seemed as though the decision had been taken that the era of beauty had ended; and that from now on, as a statement, reality would be the subject of artistic research. The salon sign became an image capable of confounding perception.

When one of those words is mistaken for the other, 'BEAUTY' and 'REALITY' are neither opposites nor equals. This is about the impossibility of defining them clearly, and of distinguishing them from one another. – Maarten Seghers

OPEN CALL FOR NOISELESS TIME

The MILL’s BEAUTY REALITY SALON (MBRS) fellowship is an annual fellowship aimed at artists of all nationalities and ages who have developed an independent oeuvre over the course of several years, and have never previously collaborated with Needcompany. Although the open call is issued internationally, NC is explicitly reaching out to artists who have a link to Brussels, the heart of transnational thinking. MBRS is neither a residency nor a production-focused programme. Its specific aim is to support artists in timeless thinking, generating artistic visions and non-results-oriented creation. Needcompany wants to support the artistic process by providing an environment and the necessary means. Support is awarded to one or more artists, depending on the specific needs of their proposals. NC’s artistic core, together with an external jury member, decides on the laureates.
 

OPEN CALL #5: MILL's Beauty Reality Salon

In theory there is no difference between Michelangelo, Louise Bourgeois, Martha Graham and Kara Walker: all take that empty moment - the blank canvas - as their starting point, and subsequently determine the right time to share the work with the wider world. The time that Michelangelo spent before he began hewing the Pietà out of marble: that is noiseless time. With MILL's Beauty Salon we want to mark that moment of noiseless time, pushing back against the logic that systematically associates art with merchandise.

WHAT IS MILL'S BEAUTY REALITY SALON?

MILL'S BEAUTY REALITY SALON was conceived in 2020 out of a desire to continue the multidisciplinary artistic voyage of discovery - which Needcompany began almost 40 years ago - in dialogue with new generations of artists. As a subsidised independent arts organisation in Flanders, we feel the need to share our funds and raise awareness of the precarious existence of those who keep the arts alive.

MILL'S BEAUTY REALITY SALON is inextricably linked to MILL - Needcompany’s artistic house in the heart of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek - which has been established as a space that has revolved around thinking, experimenting, producing, creating, connecting and exchange since March 2017. 

MILL'S BEAUTY REALITY SALON is neither a residency nor a production-focused programme. There is an explicit focus on encouraging artists to think timelessly. A bursary of up to 10,000 euros will be awarded to the selected person or persons. This sum is specifically intended to support artists by giving them a chance to think, develop and create in a timeless and non-results-oriented environment. It can - but does not have to be - used for production costs. In addition to financial support, Needcompany facilitates the artists in various ways: a residency in the MILL studio or workspace and/or a dramaturgical dialogue with Needcompany’s artists and team.