CIVITELLA RANIERI

As an integral part of its residency programme, Tyburn Foundation partners with Civitella Ranieri, an international multi-disciplinary residency program, located in a 15th-century castle in the upper Tiber valley of Umbria, Italy, to offer a transformative platform to advance the global recognition of contemporary African art. 

Each year Civitella brings together cohorts of visual artists, composers, and writers for six-week sessions at the castle, to work independently and communally without judgment or interruption. The environment is one of concentrated self-directed work and honest exchange. Since 1995, Civitella has hosted more than 1,000 artists from around the world.

Each year, from April to June, the Tyburn Foundation Affiliated Fellowship at Civitella will sponsor one or two artists for a six-week fully-funded residency at the castle.

The Fellowship is open to early and mid-career visual artists from Africa. While artistic merit is the primary consideration, the meaningfulness of this opportunity for the artist and their career is an important selection consideration. 

Fellows benefit from the collaborative and supportive environment created by the Fellows and staff of Civitella, a private apartment and artist studio, and lunch and dinner six days a week consisting of nourishing, fresh Italian cuisine with food grown in the gardens on the property and produced by local farms. The castle is equipped with an extensive library, a communal workshop, a gym, and recreation areas. There are numerous walking trails in the countryside surrounding the property. On Tuesdays, Fellows can elect to participate in excursions to historic sites of interest in the region. 

Fellows are expected to give a brief five-minute presentation of their work soon after their arrival, at an event that is open to the public and live streamed on social media. Tyburn Fellows will also be expected to give a longer 20–25-minute presentation of their work at a later date. 

The Tyburn Foundation Affiliated Fellowship at Civitella Ranieri includes a broader commitment from Tyburn Foundation to support the artist’s career, offering mentorship, exhibition opportunities, and further development beyond their time at the castle. 

The inaugural artist at Civitella Ranieri in 2025 will be South African sculptor Driaan Claassen (b.1991, South Africa), followed by Khadija Jayi (b.1989 Morocco) and Option Dzikamai Nyahunzvi (b.1992, Zimbabwe) in 2026.