Caribbean Art Initiative is pleased to announce that Otto Berchem is the inaugural artist to receive the residency at Altos de Chavón in the Dominican Republic. The residency has been made possible through the generous support of Casa de Campo, La Romana and will take place in March 2020.

 Jason Kycek, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Casa De Campo commented “We are delighted to be working with Caribbean Art Initiative and are very much looking forward to welcoming Otto Berchem to Altos de Chavón. 

Partnering with artists from around the globe is an important part of the school’s work and we are pleased that he will be joining us on this journey.” 

While CHAVÓN The School of Design has nurtured artists both locally and from abroad for generations, and Casa de Campo has for years welcomed guests to its tropical seaside villas, this partnership within a shared, picturesque site marks a key connection between the nation’s creative and hospitality industries. Through this partnership, Casa de Campo strengthens its social impact on the Dominican community, showcasing its support for the arts and education both within and outside its immediate surroundings. 

“This is a fantastic and meaningful partnership, and it shows how tourism industries around the region stand up for culture and heritage,” notes Albertine Kopp, founder and director, Caribbean Art Initiative. 

Berchem will engage with the local art school, through participation in lectures and workshops designed to facilitate a dialogue between the students. Since its founding in 1981, the Artists in Residence Programme at CHAVÓN The School of Design has welcomed over 200 artists from all over the world to learn and create alongside local classmates. Courses are taught in Spanish by a retinue of distinguished professionals, headed by a Parsons-trained Dean, and coupled with invaluable networking opportunities with visiting lecturers and resident artists. 

Otto Berchem was born 1967 in Milford, Connecticut and currently lives and works in Bogotá, Colombia. Berchem’s practice explores social and visual codes, focussing on the relationships between language, architecture, history, and poetry; interacting with past experiences, as well as specific sites within his current context of living in Colombia. Living with this nation’s severe political and social contradictions, and submerged in a continent constantly shaken by international and local interests, Berchem’s perception of conceptual thinking has been contaminated by an experimental and complex notion of Modernity. With his recent work, the artist continues his exploration of signs, human relationships and codes, through the creation of a chromatic alphabet. Berchem has been exhibited internationally and his work is housed in private and public collections in the Netherlands, Spain and Italy among others.