Rashid Johnson and Sheree Hovsepian to Open Menorca Residency at Casa Gràcia
A renovated 19th-century house in Mahon is about to become a place for artists and writers to work without the pressure of producing a finished result. Next spring, American artist Rashid Johnson (b. 1977) and artist Sheree Hovsepian (b. 1974) will launch The Residency at Casa Gràcia, a new self-directed program on Menorca that promises selected residents time, privacy, and space to think.
The first open call is already underway, with applications due July 31. Each cohort will include three artists and two writers. Artists may stay for up to three months, while writers can remain for as long as six months. According to the program’s announcement, residents will not be expected to produce an outcome or public presentation.
The advisory board reflects the residency’s broad ambitions. Alongside Johnson and Hovsepian are artist Hank Willis Thomas, writers Katherine Brinson, Patrick Radden Keefe, and Colson Whitehead, collector and investor Gaurav Kapadia, entertainment executive Ravi Nandan, internet personality Alex Ernst, and several Hauser & Wirth representatives, including cofounders Iwan Wirth and Manuela Wirth, partner and senior director of learning Debbie Hillyerd, and Cristopher Canizares, who recently left the gallery to start an artist management agency.
Casa Gràcia itself has been carefully reworked. The building, which dates to 1860, was renovated by Paris-based architectural firm Laplace with Menorcan architects Maimó&Brosa. Located in a residential neighborhood in historic Mahon, it now includes a 3,230-square-foot studio, a study, and a walled garden — three distinct spaces intended for reflection and experimentation. The release describes the transformation as one that turned a former nightclub entrance and apartment into a residence defined by simplicity, clarity, and ease.
Johnson’s connection to Menorca predates the residency. He first visited the island through Hauser & Wirth, which opened on Isla del Rey in 2021 and also operates a residency program there. He later spent more time on Menorca ahead of his 2022 exhibition at the gallery’s Balearic outpost.
In a statement, Hovsepian described the island as “profoundly moving,” citing its “mystical atmosphere” and archaeological presence. Johnson, meanwhile, said Menorca offered him “slowness, clarity, and openness” and added that he hopes future residents will find the island’s quiet rhythm equally generative. In an art world often organized around visibility and output, the residency’s premise feels pointed: make room first, and let the work follow.
