It is with great difficulty that we announce the temporary hiatus of Elmo's House Artist Residency. After three years, the decision to close the residency to make room for new opportunities, and re-evaluate operations is a timely one.

We have welcomed many incredible artists who contributed significantly to the project and the community. The care and dedication to their work were inspirational and motivated us to do better. The support we received from the very beginning is incalculable.

Thank you to the many who have been part of this journey, we share a bond that I will always hold close to my heart. The time in Batan has been life-affirming and a revelation. Living and working in my ancestral house has ignited a spiritual change.

Thank you to those who have applied to this project and to those who have watched us grow.

Our Instagram and this website will remain active with new posts and articles.

Kuh Del Rosario

Elmo’s House Artist Residency in Batan, Aklan is a contemporary art project and studio/live space for local and international artists. Established in the centre of town, the Residency provides a unique setting to conduct research and create work. 

Residency Mandate

To build an international art community in Batan, Aklan while fostering cultural exchange through initiatives and projects.

To facilitate new perspectives for research and a space to create work in an alternative setting.

To act as conduit between Batan and participating artists while initiating conversation about contemporary art and critical thinking. 

Elmo's House Artist Residency is in the small seaside town of Batan, Aklan. Amidst a tropical location and distinct cultural history, it’s the first artist residency in the region. The House is at the heart of a quiet fishing village, within a short distance to secluded beaches and lush mountains. Elmo's House is a multi-level six bedroom home. There are two 2,500 square feet open-air floors designated as communal working areas and studios. Artists are provided with a private room, shared lavatories and use of a stocked kitchen. Homemade dinners are included and enjoyed as a daily communal event for artists in residence.

Elmo’s House welcomes contemporary artists working in any medium. The Residency’s location and the community it is a part of is an important and unique aspect that can enrich one’s practice. Special consideration for artists' proposals that align with the Residency's mandate.

Origin

Elmo’s House founder and Residence Director, artist Kuh Del Rosario, is interested in building upon the semantics of materiality and the relationship between the natural and the human-made. This focus on the tangible has functioned in grounding the existential ideas that motivate her work. This trajectory has led to questions of ancestry and indigenous roots, which made it crucial to continue her practice in the Philippines. Living and working in Vancouver provided a perspective that had to change eventually.

Elmo’s House Artist Residency started as a personal project that has grown to encompass ideas and goals beyond its original intent. Its current keepers, Kuh Del Rosario and her partner Ryan Romero, have revived the House after an extended period of it sitting uninhabited. Today, Elmo’s House Artist Residency presents a new direction to both their practices and a new chapter for the Del Rosario family home. 

EH Team