PARA Fellowship 2026 for Arts Writers in Asia and Africa (Online, UAE)

On the Move; United Arab Emirates; Hybrid; AED 60,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The PARA Fellowship 2026 invites emerging and mid-career art writers from Asia and Africa to develop and publish critical writing on contemporary art. Selected fellows will receive financial support, mentorship from established critics, and an immersive experience in Sharjah, UAE.

Benefits

Flights and visa covered for residency

Accommodation provided

Per diem during residency

Mentorship from established art critics

A copy of the published works

Qualifications

• Emerging and mid-career art writers.
• Ability to engage in critical dialogue and publish two pieces.
• Experience in writing for arts-related topics is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Participate in biweekly online seminars.
• Publish two pieces of art criticism.
• Attend a fully funded week-long program in Sharjah.

Skills

Critical Writing

Art Criticism

Research

Job description

PARA Fellowship 2026 for Arts Writers in Asia and Africa (Online, UAE)

Hybrid mobility

Open for: Individuals Artists, Curators, Researchers & Critics Visual Arts & Design

Sharjah Art Foundation, in collaboration with Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, Asia Art Archive and Contemporary And (C&), invites emerging and mid-career art writers living and working in Asia and Africa to apply for PARA, a fellowship programme supporting the development and publication of new critical writing about contemporary art.

PARA explores what it means to be alongside of, to move toward, to stand against or to wander beyond. It speaks to the sense of adjacency and expansiveness inherent to art writing—at once close to a subject while also broadening its scope across intersecting cultural fields. Seeking to interrogate established approaches to art criticism, PARA foregrounds situated practices that attend to diverse forms of criticality.

The programme offers material, communal and institutional support to five fellows, who are selected through an open call. Selected fellows will have an opportunity to publish two pieces of art criticism; engage in biweekly online seminars and tailored feedback sessions with established art writers and critics; attend a fully funded, week-long programme of visits and peer-led gatherings in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; and develop relationships with fellow writers, editors, publishers and academics, fostering collaborative and transnational networks.

Fellows must be available for all parts of the PARA programme: online sessions (January–June 2026), in-person residency (March 2026) and editorial process (June–August 2026).

Cultural practitioners, including but not limited to writers, artists, curators, journalists and academics, living and working in Asia or Africa are invited to apply.

Fellows will receive the following:

• A writer’s fee of 2,000 AED for their text to be published in the compilation
• A writer’s fee of 3,000 AED for their text to be published in the anthology
• A copy of the compilation and anthology
• Mentorship sessions with five established art critics
• Flights, visa, accommodation and a per diem during the one-week residency in Sharjah