Nata Levitasova

Following the call for residency for an artist from Ukraine or a Russian dissident artist launched in June 2022, some forty applications from artists from Ukraine were received. Nata Levitasova has been selected by Drawinternational and Les Abattoirs to participate in this artist residency.

From 20 September, the artist will have a studio and independent accommodation in a medieval building in the heart of the village of Caylus, Tarn-et-Garonne, which is 1h30 from Toulouse. Les Abattoirs cover the cost of the residency (studio and accommodation), travel to Caylus, offer her a grant for creative assistance and support her integration into the artistic community.

The result of the residency will be exhibited in the Abattoirs public gallery from 13 January to 19 February 2023 (opening on 12 January). Visits are organised to discover the artist and his work.

As France has granted temporary protection to Nata Levitasova for an additional 6 months, DRAWinternational has decided to extend the residency until the end of the year. The artist will then spend two months in Paris.

The DRAWinternational centre is a place of research, experimentation and production of drawing in all its forms, which aims above all to be a place of development of the different processes of contemporary drawing, of sharing and exchange between the artist and the public. For 15 years, it has welcomed international artists who, for several weeks, take possession of the workshops to reflect, experiment and create works. The studio offers additional facilities such as a space for large formats, a technical workshop, an etching press, a top-loading kiln and technical assistance. DRAWintenational's support is both practical and theoretical and at the heart of contemporary thinking.

Les Abattoirs and DRAWinternational have been partners since 2018. Since 2019, the association, while continuing its work of welcoming artists in residence, has opened two exhibition galleries in the village and the owners of the Château de Caylus make part of their space available during the summer. In 2019, as part of the "I was born a foreigner" programme, the exhibition "Odysseys" was presented in Caylus in three spaces with the artists:  Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Babi Badalov, Jean Bazaine, Julien Creuzet, Ninar Esber, Jean-Paul Héraud, Bouchra Khalili and Nil Yalter. In 2022, John Mc Norton, director of DRAWinternational, has conceived the exhibition "Awaken" with artists from the Abattoirs' collections: Gilles Barbier, Walter Barrientos, Democracia, Bernard Dufour, Safaa Erruas, Daniel Gerhardt, Mehdi-Georges Lahlou, Myriam Mechita, Clément Thomas, Gisèle Vienne and Jérôme Zonder.