International Lab for Art Practices
ILAP is a combination of a project incubator and an artist residency atmosphere, offering an enriching experience for artists, curators, critics, researchers, educators, and professionals in the cultural sector.
We believe in a concept of artistic residency as an ‘assisted studio practice’, i.e. as a space for dialogue between curators, artists, and other agents of the art field, in which the priority is the organicity of the relationships, and in which a guide is created for experiences structured in a flexible way. At ILAP there is no a priori result: everything varies according to the purposes and involvement of each one in the processes. This model, present in traditional schools such as Royal College of Arts (London, UK), De Atelies (Amsterdam, Netherlands), has been adapted to the virtual world: zoom, WhatsApp, and google docs become expanded ateliers in which we meet in a warm and safe environment. At ILAP, participants have the opportunity to focus on their proposed projects, explore new directions in their artistic practice and deepen their knowledge of international contemporary art.
ILAP promotes participants’ personal and professional growth through theoretical discussions, knowledge exchanges, expert sessions and exercises customized to their individual aspirations. It also offers opportunities to expand networks and engage in critical discussions about the current art world. With a duration that allows for a complete immersion in artistic practice, ILAP aims to build distinguished positions in the international art field.
We are open for applications for 2024
Nov 26, 2023, 11:59 pm (ET).
Start your journey at Uncool Artist by applying to ILAP, and we’ll schedule an interview to discuss your practice and goals!

A ‘community-based’ versus ‘individual-centered’ education.
Methodolody and themes
Methodology
We believe that creating strong and lasting bonds is key to a sustainable and happy life in the arts. Our focus is on cohesive work and collaborative growth rather than stimulating a romanticized view of “the artist” or “the curator” as the stars in the art world.
For us, a welcoming and interdisciplinary community is the primary way to professional, financial, and emotional fulfillment for all those involved, while respecting individualities and specific necessities without losing sight that we are stronger when we collaborate.
ILAP Overall Themes
- CURRENT DEBATES IN CONTEMPORARY ART
- THE INTERNATIONAL ART SCENE
- RESEARCH AND ARTISTIC PRACTICES
- ART PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
- ARTWORK CIRCULATION AND SALES
- EXERCISES IN EXPLORING MULTIPLE TOPICS AND MEDIUMS
- ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL OPEN CALLS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
- ARTIST STATEMENTS AND PROJECT PROPOSALS
- CREATING A PORTFOLIO AND ARTIST WEBSITE
- WEB PRESENCE AND DIGITAL PROJECTS
Modules
Modules Combinations
Each quarter, you will meet a unique and diverse group of individuals who, in an intimate space of exchange and support, can share significant improvements in your project.
If you have just started in the arts and don’t know the possible paths for your research and artistic practice, don’t worry; we can help you find references and understand your interests better. If your project is ready to be developed, you can skip modules according to what you think is most strategic. We will help you customize ILAP to suit your needs.
And yes! You can repeat the different modules at other moments of your ILAP journey.
Foundation Module
Explore references, techniques, expand your repertoire, and build the foundation for your project.
Conception Module
Experiment, refine, edit your references and foundations, and develop a project proposal.
Project Production Module
Outline your goals, organize a work and production schedule, and write up your project.
Project Presentation Module
Put into practice what was designed and evaluate the results!
Summer Break
During the Summer Quarter, if you are enrolled for the whole year (three modules), we have a unique lineup of online participant’s seminars and open studios with exceptional guests.
Each year, participants have the opportunity to present works developed during the program through group exhibitions and residency opportunities. By the end of PROJECT PRESENTATION MODULE, participants are invited to present their project publicly.

Module's Structure
Participants will engage in various activities, from theoretical discussions and research to developing assignments based on a proposed project.
Each module covers the following cycles:
1st Cycle (4 weeks)
GROUP CRITIQUE
In the first four weeks of the module, we will focus on the elaboration of critiques, shaping your discourses on contemporary art practices. The critique mobilizes references and involves description, analysis and evaluation, without necessarily the emission of a personal judgment.
2nd Cycle (4 weeks)
PROCESS AND RESEARCH
In this cycle, you will be challenged to present your routine creative practice and develop a compelling narrative presentation about your poetics.
3rd Cycle (4 weeks)
PROJECT
In the final stage of each module, the focus is on developing a project. Depending on where you are:
- Introduction to project planning and production
- Conception of a meaningful project
- Executing project
- Publishing the project
Connections
Artists Advisories
Every quarter, ILAP participants have the opportunity to undergo personalized mentorship sessions with advisors. These mentors, actively involved in contemporary art practice, include artists, researchers, writers, and curators. Virtual studio visits will delve into discussions about the participant’s research and projects. Each session, conducted via online video conference, lasts for 40 minutes and is available on demand (advisory meetings bundles offered separately).
Talks
As part of the program, participants will be able to hear from experts in various areas of contemporary art practice. A selection of guest speakers including artists, curators, critics, gallery owners, and other art professionals will join us to discuss relevant contemporary art themes based on their work and experience. These sessions take place online via video conference.
Get to know our guest speakers and advisory team.
Click here for more.
International Community Forum
One Tuesday evening per month, all ILAPers (from all groups in the program) are invited to participate in an assembly to debate and decide collectively on projects, goals, and new Uncool Artist initiatives.
Opportunities
Meaningful Projects
Participants are encouraged to develop and present their projects to the community and the public, either virtually or in person. It’s an opportunity for experimentation, creation, and effective execution of the most meaningful projects for participant’s contexts. Proposals will be planned in collaboration with or guided by our research and curatorial team.
Opportunities for presenting projects at Uncool Artist:
Educators training program
Uncool Artist has a program to train educators interested in developing courses for remote learning. Participants in ILAP will have the opportunity to enroll in our teaching program and, by its end, propose a course or program in art and education to be offered at Uncool Artist.
Publications on Uncool Artist platforms
ILAP aims to create new knowledge in the arts. We provide opportunities for art writers, critics, and curators, giving them the chance to share their writings. For this reason, participants in the program are the primary authors of articles and essays published on the Uncool Artist website and social media platforms as part of UNCOOL WRITING.
Exhibitions
As part of ILAP, participants will be encouraged to exhibit their works via virtual and/or in person experiences. The format will be discussed with the group and adapted to the participants’ proposals. The goal of these activities is to allow the participants to experiment with ways in which to present their production while also allowing them to engage with the public in different spaces and by using various mediums.
In 2024, we will have carefully curated group shows*, scheduled to take place in New York, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Miami.
* Newly enrolled participants can participate.
ENGAGEMENT
Uncool Artist offers a unique approach to art exchanges with a customized blend of platforms and online learning methodology. The program is organized in quarters, with 12 weeks of meetings and activities. Each participant is recommended to enroll in at least four quarters to establish strong connections, take advantage of a whole year set of opportunities and present a well-rounded project.
Group Meetings
Weekly on Wednesdays
mediated by ILAP Coordinators
*Choose the best timeframe for you: afternoon (1-4 pm) or evening (6-9pm) ET
Advisory Meetings
Up to 6 one-o-one meetings per quarter 40 minutes each meeting
Available in English, Portuguese and Spanish
Talks
Once a month on Mondays or Tuesdays
From 2 to 4 pm (ET) or from 6 to 8 pm (ET)
HOW TO ENROLL

Uncool Artist and ILAP
Uncool Artist is a warm-welcoming community that provides solid connections with experienced and generous artists, curators, critics, and art dealers.
We create a unique environment so you can dive deep into your practices, find unique opportunities to show your creations, present meaningful projects, and build a sustainable living in the arts.
Organized in small groups and promoting an intimate-safe-environment, ILAP is our “art projects incubator.” It was created for artists, curators, critics, researchers, educators, and anyone in the cultural sector, aiming to be part of a community that pursues a distinct position in the international contemporary art field. It serves as a platform for those seeking to start or continue to develop their projects, engaging in critical discussions about today’s art world, and intending to expand their networks.
Start your journey in Uncool Artist by applying to ILAP, so we’ll schedule an interview to talk about your practice and goals.
All meetings are held in English. Participants must be fluent in reading, writing, understanding, and speaking English.
TUITION
The quarterly tuition for the ILAP is U$ 2,400.
Uncool Artist is a self-funded artist-run organization and will work with those in need to find financial aid to support their attendance. Financial aid needs can be addressed through the application form. We encourage everyone to apply regardless of their financial situation.
Do not wait until the last minute to apply!
COORDINATORS
Ana Roman
Master in Geography from the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences at USP. Currently, he is dedicated to research in contemporary art and curatorship: she was the curator assistant for the exhibitions Lina Gráfica SESC Pompéia, 2014); review_Augusto de Campos (SESC Pompeia, SESC Santo André, SESC Araraquara); researcher of Achillina Giuseppina Maria | Bo Achillina | Achillina Giuseppina | Achillina Bo by the artist Walmor Corrêa at SESC Pompeia (2016) and Ready Made in Brasil (Centro Cultural FIESP, 2017). Ana signed the curatorship of the exhibition A Asseidade da Fenda by David Almeida at Centro Elefante Centro Cultural in Brasília (2016) and Occupation: any phrase was better than silence (2016) at Plana together with Thais Gouveia. Since 2014, she has participated in the untitled collective, S.D. of production and research in contemporary art, with which he carried out actions such as the show What is not performance? at Centro Universitário Maria Antonia (2015) and the seminar Public Residences: First Questions at Estação Pinacoteca (2016). She was the assistant curator at the 34th Bienal de São Paulo.

Julie McKim
Julie McKim is an independent curator from Brooklyn, New York. She has held curatorial positions at The Whitney Museum of American Art, Performa, New York, and The Kitchen, New York, and until recently, she ran the Brooklyn-based alternative art space Kunsthalle Galapagos. She has produced curatorial projects in New York, California, Berlin and Vienna. In addition to curating independently, she manages a preeminent New York collection of modern and contemporary art. She began her arts career as a volunteer at the Oakland Museum of California, giving tours and sharing the profound importance of the artist Gordon Parks. It was through his work, that she first saw the transformative possibilities of art. She is driven by the belief that art and artists are truly necessary for a vital and thriving society, and that artists should be able to sustain themselves while making the world a better place.

Andrea Tavares
Andréa Tavares is an artist and educator from São Paulo, Brazil. She works with graphic languages as drawing and printmaking to create friction between collective and individual memory. Her work has been shown in museums and galleries in Brazil and abroad. In Oficina Cultural Oswald de Andrade (São Paulo), her last show, Anxiety Studio, presented almost one thousand works on paper, part of an extensive archive practice brought together with personal memories and social history.
She is a professor of Drawing, Graphics Languages, and Teaching Practices at FAAP (Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation), in the visual arts faculty, and Coordinator of the postgraduate course (Latu Senso)Contemporary Artistic Practices at the same institution.
She is also one of the coordinators of ILAP in Portuguese.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from USP (University of São Paulo) and an MFA and a Ph.D. in visual poetics from the same institution.

Liene Bosquê
Liene Bosquê is a visual artist and art educator based in Miami, born in Brazil. Bosquê’s installations, sculptures, site-specific projects, as well as social engaged practice works have been have been exhibited in museums and galleries In the United States at MoMA PS1 in New York (2015), Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago (2013), Museum of Contemporary Art of North Miami (2020), among other places. Her artworks were also included in international exhibitions in Brazil, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, and South Korea; at places such as Museu de História Natural in Lisbon (2007), Museu de Arte de Ribeirão Preto (2006), and Sesc in São Paulo (2018).
In 2019 Bosquê received the Ellies Creator Award, Miami’s Visual Arts Awards, and a WaveMaker Grant to present HamacaS Project. First iteration of this social engaged project was shown at MOCA North Miami during February 2020. Bosquê was an artist in residence at Wave Hill, Bronx and at Queens Museum’s ArtBuilt residency both in New York. In 2016, she received the Emerging Artist Fellowship from the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, where she presented her first public sculpture.
Liene Bosquê holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a BFA from the São Paulo State University, and a BA in Architecture and Urbanism from Mackenzie University in Brazil, where she is from. She is professor at Florida International University in Miami.
