PARCE is a collaborative initiative mainly for artists: we seek to provide workplaces, art projects, exhibitions, talks and any other event related to art under the principle of collaboration (which for us means that: (i.) the project is of all those involved and (ii.) that everyone can influence the project by giving an opinion about what is being done, suggest changes, help in logistics, etc). So we promote a platform in which everyone interacts, in which all the artists end up knowing each other and where they also get involved in management and self-management issues. We seek to work as if we were a laboratory of research in which ideas can be an endless research that expresses itself in different ways and which plays with the traditional concepts in the field. As the initiative depends on collaboration, our modus operandi and resources depend also on the possibilities of collaboration. The idea is to promote different ways of collaboration amongst all the possible actors of the field no matter their category or status.
Regarding our management, we communicate everything we do to the artists: be it the successes, as well as the failures and mistakes, in order to give an idea -for example to young artists- of the relevance of looking for opportunities, the work that this involves and the importance of persistence.
In this process, we try to help each invited artist with any limitationse he has -for example economic- and we look for ways to collaborate economically -if possible- and / or show ways to apply to funds, scholarships, etc.
We're a Ghent-based artist's initiative with a mission to foster community and social interaction. Our goal is to provide opportunities for artists while serving as a bridge for those from various countries. We also strive to encourage engagement among artists and different audiences, including those beyond the traditional art field. Our vision is to create a space where art meets the community and the community meets art, allowing for anyone to explore their creativity, reflect, rest, disconnect from daily life, and connect with others. We're committed to fostering dialogue between different populations, including the richest, poorest, natives, migrants, youngest, oldest, artists, and the public, etc. through the power of art.
We want to create a space for everyone.
PARCE was initiated by Colombian artist and lawyer Laura Peña, with the aspiration that it would be an agent who gives or indicates opportunities to artists and who facilitates collaboration between different actors in the field. This was also the result of the fact that she questioned her "individual artistic practice" as isolated from others and thus felt the need for collaboration.
The idea for PARCE started in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in 2016. At first it worked similar to a gallery, then we mutated the concept to be more an artists' initiative from artists for artists. Therefore, there are no permanent artists in PARCE and we do not seek profit in our project - what we make, we re-invest.
Currently in Ghent, we operate as an open studio, where the public can come to see art, the process of making art and being in direct contact with artists. The idea is to connect artists with the general public, galleries, museums, art institutions, curators and critics in Belgium.
One of the objectives of the space is to create interaction between Latin American and European artists. In fact, for the PARCE project, breaking the boundaries of space and concepts as nationality is crucial.
Accordingly, we place much emphasis on the interaction between emerging artists, young artists and artists with a track record: how they can learn from each other by doing projects together and how they can mutually strengthen and collaborate, among other dynamics that can arise from such interaction and that we consider important.
Artists come to us in different ways, sometimes by our invitation, sometimes by voice-to-speech channels and sometimes by research on a specific topic. We also have a project "TIKKERTJE" in which they arrive by "chance" Who participates in Tikkertje depends entirely on the artists.
supportus
PARCE depends on friends (“PARCEROS”) and contributions. It’s a space of collaboration and works of friends. Therefore, our continuity depends on how well our projects develop and on the recourses we can find or collect to support what we are doing: in general or for a specific project. We therefore thankfully receive donations and help. If you are interested in supporting us, please click on the button below in order to find out more about the possiblities to help us.
In every project, we believe that the most important thing for an artist is to be able to produce work and be able to show it. Besides the possibility of sharing her/his work through the "Open studio" form, we therefore also organize temporary exhibitions.
Consequently, PARCE was born with the idea of being able to provide more tools and facilities to artists, based also on very positive experiences with participating in artist initiatives, such as Si Nos Pagan Boys (SNPB)
PERMANENT TEAM
LAURA PEÑA
Founder, manager, partner and director
Artist
Bachelor in Fine Arts. Emphasis on Electronic Media and Time Arts. Artist. Los Andes University, Bogotá, Colombia.
As an artist, her experience includes personal and individual work, group work and different art management projects. For more information, see:
Personal page: https://whenuarestrange.wordpress.com/
Lawyer
Bachelor of Law . Los Andes University, Bogotá, Colombia.
Magister in Law (legal research). Los Andes University, Bogotá, Colombia.
European Master in Law and Economics (EMLE programme):
Master in Law and Economics. LL.M. University of Vienna, Austria.
European Master in Law and Economics, University of Hamburg, Germany.
Master Universitario Erasmus mundus de livello I, University of Bologna, Italy.
RUBEN KORSTEN
Partner
Lawyer
Honours Bachelor of Law . University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Master of Laws, Private law: Commercial Practice, University of Amsterdam.
European Master in Law and Economics (EMLE programme):
Master of Science, Indira Ghandi Institute for Development Research, India.
European Master in Law and Economics, University of Hamburg, Germany.
Master Universitario Erasmus mundus de livello I, University of Bologna, Italy.
Assistant (PhD), Center for Advanced Studies in Law and Economics, Ghent University, Belgium.
TEMPORARY PARCEROS (ASSISTANTS AND COLLABORATORS)
JOLIEN VERDOODT
Collaborator
Jolien wrote the text of our Debris project (during March and April 2019) and was co-organizer for our Ontrafelingen project
Art Historian
Master in the Arts (Ghent University, 2019); Bachelor in the Arts (Ghent University, 2017); Intern and volunteer at SMAK Ghent (Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art Ghent)
ANA MARIA SAENZ
Temporal Assistant (Aug - Sep 2019)
Artist
Assisted in August and September 2019