SAN ANTONIO — Artpace San Antonio has announced its Spring 2026 International Artists-in-Residence, unveiling a distinguished trio of artists selected by guest curator Dr. Aleesa Pitchamarn Alexander. The Spring 2026 cohort includes Texas Artist Violette Bule, National Artist Mel Chin, and International Artist Việt Lê.
Dr. Alexander serves as the Robert M. and Ruth L. Halperin Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and Co-Director of the Asian American Art Initiative at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. Under her curatorial leadership, the Spring 2026 residency brings together artists whose practices span conceptual research, social engagement, environmental innovation, and interdisciplinary approaches to healing and community.
Violette Bule, a Venezuelan-born conceptual artist based in Texas, is known for combining archival research with community-centered practices. Her work examines power structures and collective memory through documentary methods and participatory fieldwork. Bule’s recent monograph, De la Lleca al Cohue, was named the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation’s Book of the Month in July 2024, and she was the recipient of the 2023 Horton/Artadia Award.
Mel Chin, a pioneering figure in contemporary art, is widely recognized for his influential project Revival Field (1990), which introduced the concept of “green remediation” by using plants to remove toxins from soil. A 2019 MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the 2024 Hiroshima Art Prize, Chin’s work spans objects, films, performances, and large-scale public collaborations. His practice is driven by what curators have described as a “mutative strategy,” allowing ideas to dictate materials and form.
Việt Lê, a queer and disabled multidisciplinary artist, centers their work on themes of sexuality, spirituality, healing, and decolonization. Working across experimental film, ritual performance, painting, and object-making, Lê is the author of Return Engagements (Duke University Press, 2021) and Professor Emeritus at California College of the Arts. Lê also continues their practice as a Vietnamese indigenous shaman-monk and founded the nonprofit SEA sạ, which supports knowledge-sharing rooted in Global South indigenous shamanisms.
The Spring 2026 residency will culminate in exhibitions on view at Artpace from March 19 through July 12, 2026, showcasing new work developed during the artists’ time in San Antonio.
Artpace will host a public Welcome Dinner for the Spring 2026 Artists-in-Residence on Thursday, January 29, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. at its downtown campus, located at 445 N. Main Avenue. The artists will deliver brief presentations beginning at 6:30 p.m. The free event is open to the public, with complimentary beer and wine available for guests 21 and older. Registration is required.
Additional January programming includes the return of Free Community Yoga, scheduled for Monday, January 12, at 6 p.m., offering an all-levels mindfulness practice focused on grounding and reflection.
Artpace is open seven days a week, with free admission year-round. As a nonprofit international artist residency, Artpace relies on community support to continue offering free public programming and providing artists with space to experiment, collaborate, and create.