Les Mòniques call 2026/2027

The residency grants at Santa Mònica are aimed at transdisciplinary creators working in the relational or participatory field.

The aim is to promote the development of prototypes of artistic mediation devices that explore transmedia formats that open up the contents, discourses and questions that the centre contains and generates to different audiences.

Each of the transmedia devices developed during the residency acts as a prototype, i.e. an experimental format that responds to the logic of trial and error. The prototypes may or may not remain as a stable future device, at the disposal of Santa Mònica, but they do not have to respond to demands or objectives set by the centre. The prototypes generated and the future stable devices are not conceived as works with intellectual property and individual authorship, but as projects that can be replicated and/or adapted by future grant holders, the institution itself, other people and organisations that make up the Santa Mònica network and audiences.

The three exhibition cycles that will unfold between autumn 2026 and summer 2027 are based on the following questions: What relationships are established between digitalization, the body, and militarization? Where does the affective dimension stand within collaborative artistic practices? How can a public arts centre imagine itself as, and become, a space of coexistence for adolescents?

The residencies are designed as temporary stays of 11 months in a shared space at the Santa Mònica. During this time, the residents set up and participate in research processes that end up materialising in various prototypes of artistic mediation devices. At the same time, they are invited to share their lines of research and the resulting prototypes within the framework of other education and mediation programmes and projects at the centre, such as the curatorial training programme at Santa Mònica, (crear) Situacions, the educational project Sojornar and thel Festival de Cultura Raval(s) coordinated by the Tot Raval foundation.

The grant holders work on-site at Santa Mònica to promote the exchange of knowledge within the group and the collective dimension of the different research processes. The group of residents has a production grant for the development of prototypes and a follow-up of their stay and their research processes by the management and technical team of the centre. Throughout the residency, the institution accompanies people in the development of their research and prototypes, as well as in the development of alliances, dialogues and hybridisations with the contents of the Santa Mònica programmes, its institutional frameworks and structures, the centre's other mediation and education projects, and the fabric of the Raval neighbourhood.

In addition to the 21 grants in this call, Les Mòniques 26–27 will include an international Mònica through a new grant in collaboration with the TEJA Network, aimed at supporting an artist in an emergency situation.

The residency is structured in four phases:

1. Recognition phase (September):
Initial period of meetings with the Santa Mònica’s direction and team, as well as introductory sessions to the context of the centre and the neighbourhood. Each guild shares its lines of work, internally defines objectives and a calendar, and establishes a framework for follow-up with the centre.

2. Exploration and research phase (October – January):
Based on the agreed objectives and follow-up, each guild develops research and experimentation processes aimed at potential prototypes. The phase concludes with the submission of a proposal outline that details every scheduling, spatial, and budgetary needs.

3. Testing, prototyping, and production phase (February – April):
With the support of the centre and a production budget previously defined with the centre according to each guild’s demands, the proposed prototypes are tested and developed.

4. Evaluation, dissemination, and continuity of prototypes phase (May – July):
A conversation is opened with the centre regarding the potential continuity and scalability of the prototypes based on the results obtained. The phase concludes with the submission of a final investigation report.

The residency foresees an approximate dedication of two in-person days per week: one day of internal guild work (to be agreed upon with each group) and one day of meetings with the Santa Mònica team and the rest of the Mòniques, which will take place on Wednesday mornings.

Acceptance of the residency implies a certain degree of scheduling flexibility and an in-person attendance commitment. 

Les modalitats de les beques 2026/2027 són:

a) Research in participatory mediation (3 grants)

These are grants for research into experimental forms of mediation and the activation of audiences, that is, research into the creation of alternative forms of reception and participation in artistic and cultural events by audiences.

b) Spatial mediation research (3 grants)

These are grants for research that rethinks content in terms of the design of exhibition spaces and ephemeral architectural devices, as well as constructions in public space. Research in this modality may also investigate experimental audience arrangements.

c) Digital mediation research (3 grants)

These are grants for research into experimental forms of content mediation through apps, platforms and other digital projects.

d) Communication mediation research (3 grants)

These are grants for research on experimental forms of mediation understood as communication and dissemination, both physical and digital.

e) Editorial mediation research (3 grants)

These are grants for research into experimental forms of mediation through design and editorial production.

f) Educational mediation research (3 grants)

These are grants for research experimenting with diverse educational and training activities, as well as around digital training actions.

g) Gastronomic mediation research (3 grants)

These are grants for research that explore strategies of cultural mediation and socialisation through gastronomy as an artistic creation.

The amount of the grant is 9,200.00 euros for a duration of 11 months, from 1 September 2026 to 31 July 2027. The payment of the grant is processed as follows:

1. A first payment, consisting of an advance of 50% of the amount of the grant, as of the publication of the award.

2. A second payment, of 30% of the amount of the grant, once the beneficiary has justified the partial completion of the project, in accordance with the temporary work plan, by means of supporting documentation (a supporting report detailing the activity carried out until then and a planning of the activity to be carried out in the remaining period) in accordance with the temporary work plan of the research project.

3. A third payment of 20% of the amount of the grant, once the beneficiary has justified the completion of the grant project, by means of supporting documentation (the report containing the description of the work phases carried out, according to the nature of the project, the timetable and the methodology used, as well as an explanation of the results obtained and the future prospects). The document must be at least ten pages long.

• Individuals domiciled in Catalonia are eligible for these grants.
  
  
• In order to obtain the status of beneficiary, applicants must meet the following requirements and conditions, in addition to those set out in general basis 3:
  • a) Each applicant may only submit a single application and for a single modality.
  • b) Applicants must hold a university or higher artistic education degree that accredits the corresponding speciality in accordance with the type of grant applied for, or accredit an academic-technical career related to the type of grant applied for, or accredit a professional career related to the type of grant applied for during a minimum period of three years.
  • c) The activity is to be carried out at the Centre for 11 months, in the period from 1 September 2025 to 31 July 2026.
     
• The grant cannot be awarded to anyone who has obtained another grant in this line twice consecutively or three grants in this line in the last five years.

These grants must be processed online through the portal de tràmits de la Generalitat. You can also consult the terms and conditions at the same link.

The period for submitting applications is from 12 February to 10 March, both days included. At the time of submitting the application, the following documentation must be provided, together with the documentation stipulated in General Conditions 7 and 11.5:

- Detailed curriculum vitae of the applicant, specifying at least the university or higher artistic education qualifications, academic-technical career or professional career related to the modality applied for, in accordance with the provisions of base 3.1.b).

- Copy of the university or higher artistic education degree that accredits the corresponding speciality and documentation accrediting the academic-technical or professional career that has been included in the applicant's curriculum vitae. In the case of official Spanish university degrees, these do not have to be provided, except in the case of express opposition from the applicant, which the examining body will check ex officio.

- Description of the research project to be carried out, which must be written in Catalan and must indicate: the motivation for the research in relation to the artistic or social context on which it is intended to have an impact; the objectives of the research; the planned methodology and also the means that will be required from the centre. This description may not exceed 3,500 characters or three pages in length.

Application period: from 12 February to 10 March 2026, both days included.

Information sessions: 17 February from 18:30 to 19:30 h. 

Communication of shortlisted candidates: during the week of 4 May.

Interviews: during the week of 18 May.

Resolution: during the week of 1 June.

To solve doubts and to learn about some examples of the research developed in previous editions, we invite you to come to our information session, either in-person or online:

• 17 february 2026 | 18:30 – 19:30 h | Santa Mònica's lecture room and online via Youtube

For technical questions and incidents in the application process, you can contact with info.santamonica@gencat.cat. Doubts will be resolved until 12 March at 13:00.

The Santa Mònica technical team will not be able to evaluate the proposals or assess their best fit with the modalities offered by the grants programme.