OtherNetwork is a cultural institution without walls, connecting independent art spaces worldwide. At its core are hundreds of projects that are strongly rooted in their local context, responding to the needs of artists directly. We see the term ‘independent’ as fluid and context-specific, continuously seeking to unpack what this means to cultural practitioners in different global localities through a series of original productions. Whatever your definition, OtherNetwork is guided by a firm belief that independent cultural venues offer much needed counter-narratives to those of larger institutions.
othernetwork.io
This online platform visualises many of the existing collaborations happening organically between artists, curators and cultural producers worldwide, while acting as an infrastructure for fostering new connections. It can be used as a research tool for curators, a source of discourse around independent cultural production, and above all, a place for spaces existing outside of mainstream frameworks to gain visibility by joining the network.
OtherNetwork is activated through a series of productions – this includes an international cultural programme hosted by our research team in partner cities worldwide, in parallel to an ongoing curatorial project conceptualised in the form of an exhibition relay. OtherNetwork also commissions original essays, interviews and other editorial content, and produces OtherNetwork Conversations, a podcast series that highlights some of the cultural projects reshaping the art world today.
FrequentlyAskedQuestions
Why is mapping art spaces important? We’re aware of the fragility of many independent projects, so want to create a feeling of resilience. We believe in creating a living network where artists and their communities can find each other to share resources, creating equal opportunities for collaboration without having to go through large cultural institutions.
Who benefits from OtherNetwork? As well as working in a series of focus cities, OtherNetwork productions centre spaces from within the online network. Being part of it is the first step towards collaborating, hosting an event or being part of our wider research and editorial efforts. Being part of the platform also helps boost visibility from outside of the independent cultural field, as it is used as a research tool by many organisations, institutions and agencies.
What do we mean by ‘independent’ when referring to art spaces? We use the notion of independence as a provocation, in order to unpack what it means to produce culture at the margins of society. An independent project space might be identified by a number of traits including distance from larger cultural institutions, autonomy from state funding, opposition to market forces or immunity to outside political influence. This definition is entirely geographically and context specific, so we encourage everyone to interpret this in their own way!
Who can join OtherNetwork? All independent cultural practitioners and their relevant extended networks can join the platform. For individuals, we have categories for Architect/Designer, Artist, Collector, Cultural Producer, Curator, Musician, Researcher/Academic and Writer/Editor. For projects and spaces, we are open to Artist-initiated projects, Studio Spaces, Collectives, Commercial Galleries, Educational Institution, Funding bodies and more, providing they have worked with independent artists or spaces.
How is OtherNetwork funded? OtherNetwork is an independent non-profit foundation legally based in the Netherlands. We currently receive support from ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Between Bridges and Stimuleringsfonds Creative Industries (NL).
Can I donate to OtherNetwork? As an independent non-profit foundation, we’re continually looking for ways to support programmes in various artist-led projects around the world while keeping ourselves afloat as an organisation. If you have any ways to support OtherNetwork, financially or otherwise, please get in touch with info@othernetwork.io.
Stichting OtherNetwork is a ANBI Public Benefit Organisation registered in the Netherlands. The project was initiated in 2021 by Cookies together with ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, and receives additional project support from Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and Between Bridges. OtherNetwork team includes Federico Martelli, Colin Keays, F451 Studio (Domitille Debret & Quentin Creuzet), Samantha Modisenyane, Abraham Tettey, Camila Alegría, Matheus dos Reis and Camilo Quiroga.
OtherNetwork has been made possible thanks to collaborations with: FCA Ghana, Terra Alta, Compound House Gallery, Worldfaze, W.E.B. Du Bois Centre (Accra), Between Bridges (Berlin), Espacio Odeón (Bogotá), Lugar a Dudas (Cali), Heritage Art Space (Hanoi), Gudskul (Jakarta), Nothing Gets Organised, Keleketla! Library, The Library of Things We Forgot To Remember (Johannesburg), Laboratoire Kontempo, OYO Project (Kinshasa), CCA Lagos, Vernacular Art-Space Laboratory (Lagos), Casa Tres Patios (Medellín), Aeromoto (Mexico City), e-flux Architecture (New York), Shimmer (Rotterdam), Pivô, Casa do Povo (São Paulo), Galería Metropolitana, Instituto Telearte, Galería Cima, Specific, Espacio Checoeslovaquia (Santiago), Ifa Galerie (Stuttgart), Artspace Aotearoa (Tamaki Makaurau Auckland), and many more.
ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen promotes a peaceful and enriching coexistence between people and cultures worldwide. ifa supports artistic and cultural exchange in exhibition, dialogue and conference programmes, and it acts as a centre of excellence for international cultural relations. It is part of a global network and relies on sustainable, long-term partnerships. ifa is supported by the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, the state of Baden-Württemberg and its capital Stuttgart.
Cookies is a design and architecture studio founded in 2016 by Alice Grégoire, Federico Martelli, Clément Périssé and Antonio Barone. Cookies is a catalyst for art and architecture; a polyphonic dialogue between research and production. Using exhibition-making as a medium, Cookies dismembers and re-articulates the relation between art, display, curation and space, diving into projects that require a critical approach and multidisciplinary collaboration.
F451 is a design studio founded by Quentin Creuzet and Domitille Debret. From design to programming, they experiment with the standards and conventions of the web, with a focus on information structure. They work on commissioned design projects and also investing in researched based projects
Samantha is a project coordinator, curator and installation designer from Polokwane, Limpopo. In 2016, Samantha began her tenure at the Goethe-Institut Sub-Saharan office with a focus on touring exhibitions, managing funding applications for the Goethe Project Space, as well as working with notions of fashion as a language and cultural asset. Samantha completed her studies in Art History at the University of South Africa. She co-found the collective Lema Management in 2018, and is Orientation Manager for the Hammerl Arts Rights Transfer, a residency program for African artists, journalists and creatives at risk.
Samantha is ambassador for OtherNetwork in South Africa, and part of the core research team.
Abraham Tettey is a Ghanaian artist, curator, and community facilitator based in Accra. Drawing on a range of research-based and community-led approaches, he treats exhibition-making as a form of cultural cartography; mapping connections between memory, materiality, and lived experience.
Through the activation of archives, the incorporation of artistic expression, and the application of participatory approaches, he designs spaces that encourage critical reflection and collective healing. These spaces develop through collaboration and dialogue, aiming to challenge prevailing narratives while fostering inclusive and care-focused alternatives. His curatorial practice redefines the exhibition space, turning it into a platform for display, as well as for gathering, inquiry, and remembrance.
Camila Alegria is a researcher, visual artist, independent curator and teacher. Camila studied a masters’ degree in Contemporary Art at the University of Barcelona, and has been trained academically and humanly in other independent courses focused on gender issues and gender perspectives. Camila runs an instagram account dedicated to the visibility of women artists and dissidents of Art History called @reescribirlahistoria (which means “rewrite history”), and is a member of the OtherNetwork research team.
Matheus dos Reis (Researcher for OtherNetwork in São Paulo) is an Amazonian Art dealer, Editor and Producer based in São Paulo. After study Administration and Public Relations, he started to collaborate with production, fundraising and sales for art spaces and projects such as Pivô, VOTE LGB, VIVA Projects and museu do louvre pau-brazyl. He edits Fort Magazine since 2016. As an Art dealer and Liaisons, worked for the Brazilian galleries Simões de Assis, Millan, Central and Sé galeria.
Camilo Quiroga is a lawyer and political scientist that works as an independent researcher on arts and culture. His work includes research, press review and archiving, writing, and content creation and editing for various types of projects: editorial, curation, exhibitions, podcasts, and web platforms like Other Network. He has worked as a Coordinator at the Banco de la República Museums of Art in Bogotá and occasionally makes mediation of museum spaces and art exhibitions.
Between Bridges is a foundation (est. 2017) committed to humanism, solidarity, and the advancement of democracy. It supports the arts, LGBT+ rights and anti-racism work.
The Creative Industries Fund NL is the Dutch cultural fund for design, architecture, digital culture and any crossovers between them. As one of the six national cultural funds, we finance special and innovative projects, research and activities of designers, makers and cultural institutions in the creative industry.
