Filmmaker Zeinab Shahidi Marnani and artists G.T. Pellizzi and Basco Vazko are the inaugural Inga Maren Otto Fellows at the Watermill Center, the Long Island–based arts nonprofit told ARTINFO. The fellowship was originally reported by Inside Philanthropy as consisting of a single annual residency supported by a $320,000 four-year grant, but donor Inga Maren Otto increased her gift to $960,000 upon being impressed by the initial slate of applicants, according to a spokesperson for the Watermill Center. The program was thus expanded to host three artists per year for a 4-6 week residency that comes with a stipend, travel expenses, and support for an exhibition or performance of work developed at the residency.
The first slate of artists were nominated and selected by a committee that included Andreas Beitin of the Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (ZKM), Kristy Edmunds of the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, Alanna Heiss of Clocktower Productions, choreographer and dancer John Jasperse, Jay Sanders of the Whitney Museum, Watermill managing director William Wagner, and Robert Wilson, founder and artistic director of the Watermill Center.
Though two of the three selected artists hail from outside of the United States, they have existing ties to Watermill: An exhibition of Mexican-born Pellizzi’s work, titled “Visitations,” is on view through November 21, while Chilean-born Vazko presented work during the center’s summer benefit and auction this summer. The Iranian conceptual artist and filmmaker Marnani, though new to Watermill, was a 2015 fellow at the International Studio and Curatorial Program in Brooklyn. (Pellizzi and Shahidi also split time between New York and their home countries.)
The residency, which is targeted at emerging and mid-career artists, aims to provide a venue for the display or presentation of works completed at the residency, whether on site or through its “extensive relationships with presenting organizations, museums and galleries in New York City and beyond,” as Watermill managing director William Wagner said in response to a query.
We reached out to Watermill founder, artistic director, and noted busy man Robert Wilson with two key questions about the new fellows, which he answered via email while traveling in Italy.
In your capacity as a member of the selection committee, could you speak to what made Zeinab Shahidi Marnani, G.T. Pellizzi, and Basco Vazko stand out as fellows? How do they fit into the ethos set for the Otto Fellowship?
Each of these artists possesses a singular voice that comes through so clearly in their work without exception, and they were chosen as the inaugural fellows because of their artistic excellence.
For example in the case of G.T. Pellizzi… What attracts me to Pellizzi’s sculpture is the way he uses light. I find parallels between his practice and my own. In my opera “Einstein on the Beach,” I made furniture out of plumbing pipes. Einstein said if he had to live his life over he would rather be a plumber. I like Pellizzi’s use of electric conduit tubes. It is so direct, and graphically very simple. He is a great colorist with a strong architectural sense.
Each of the chosen artists have some special quality that resonates for me.
In what specific way(s) would you say the Otto Fellowship expands or adds to the Watermill’s purview? Will it always go to artists that work outside of what’s traditionally understood as performance?
The Inga Maren Otto Fellowship will not be constrained by discipline or medium. Watermill is about investigation and research in new forms. Compelling work and the ability to demonstrate significant promise as an artist will always be at the heart of our fellowship program. With the underwriting provided for the program by our generous donor, Watermill can deepen its commitment to supporting artists in their creative development through these fellowships.
— Mostafa Heddaya (@mheddaya)
(Photo: G. T. Pellizzi, “Transitional Geometry in Blue (Fig. 27),” 2014. Eggshell acrylic on plywood, 31 1/2 x 18 x 4 inches. Courtesy the Watermill Center.)
