Artistic residencies in relation to ecological issues are developing in a context of climate crisis and of artists’ growing appetite for these subjects. From 71° North to the Greek islands, from the melting of ice floes to plants’ resistance against drought, these locales invite artists to question major issues while immersed in preserved environments. These residencies link contemporary art and the environment, as well as science and expertise, to offer the experience of a territory, a landscape, its history, and challenges on a local and global scale. The research, meetings, and experiments conducted in this productive time allow artists not only to progress in their craft and commitment, but also to experience first-hand the gradual movement toward change.

Art of Change 21 offers a world tour of these residencies through four geographical stages, beginning in Europe with a selection of 20 renowned, unique, and immersive residencies. Among these, many surround the North Pole, a major site of accelerated devastation due to global warming.

The Helsinki International Artist Program (HIAP), Finland

The Helsinki International Artist Program (HIAP) is an international artistic residence founded in 1998. It provides artists a space conducive to creation by encouraging exchanges with the local artistic scene. HIAP particularly supports experimental and interdisciplinary practices while engaging in contemporary debates related to the artistic field. Since 2013, ecology has been one of the major focuses of this program. Currently, HIAP hosts Finnish artist Sirkku Rosi, whose work explores the relationship between the body and the environment. The program is centered around several residencies managed in partnership with various institutions, such as Creative Australia, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and Tokyo Arts and Space.

Applications are open throughout the year.

More information at Helsinki International Artist Program or @ hiap_suomenlinna

 

Camargo Foundation, France

In the heights of Cassis, Provence, at the heart of the Calanques National Park, the Camargo Foundation, founded by American artist Jerome Hill, offers artists, researchers, and thinkers extended time for research, during which they can exchange ideas together amidst a remarkable setting where buildings and gardens blend into the natural landscape. Four residencies are proposed, inspired by the site, its history, and the challenges of our relationship with the living world. Escales allows them to work on a project with no production expectations or obligations. Horizons , conducted every two years, invites researchers, thinkers, and artists with complementary practices and knowledge to come together to work on specific themes related to how we inhabit the world. The Incubators residency is intended for artists, researchers, and thinkers working collectively on research projects and developing interdisciplinary creations. Another residency format is held over a long period (three years or more), encouraging research, wandering, trial and error, and experimentation, necessary conditions for the emergence of new forms of creation. The resident is invited to draw inspiration from the territory and to engage in discussions with the public. Other residency programs are based on open-call applications. Among past residents, photographer Franck Gérard , drawing from his immersion, focused his work on exploring the link between humans and natural landscapes, leading to the publication of his book Calanques . In the same dynamic, writer Mike Alberti pursued a literary reflection on the impact of climate change through a series of short stories delving into the connection between the environment and human communities.

Applications for the various programs are regularly updated on their web site .

More information at Camargo Foundation or @ camargofoundation

 

Earthwise Residency, Denmark

Since 2013, Earthwise has been organizing two annual calls for artistic residency applications on a 13-hectare site with an 18th-century farmhouse in the heart of Denmark’s Mols Bjerge National Park. One is intended for emerging artists, while the other is aimed at established artists in the midst of their careers, in collaboration with a researcher or specialist. Directed by Christine Fentz, these residencies invite artists to engage in a research process in which art interacts with the humanities and natural sciences, with a strong emphasis on ecological issues and the relationship between man and his environment. In 2024, researcher Janina Taurinen and artist Mariia Solodiankina conducted their project Hydro Communication on the topic of water, a crucial resource for ecosystems and societies alike.

Calls for applications take place twice a year (spring/summer – autumn/winter).

More information at Earthwise Residency or @ earthwise_residency

 

Septentrionales, Northern Europe

Throughout Northern Europe, the four French Institutes of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland co-organize Septentrionales, a two-month traveling artistic residency dedicated to research and exploration of all disciplines. This program invites artists to propose projects linked to specific issues regarding the Nordic territories. This adventure presents an adventure of low-carbon travel between fjords, cities, and mountains.
The route includes several stages, the duration of which varies by country, encouraging encounters and exchanges with local cultural actors. During their residencies, artists keep a digital travel diary, published regularly on the social media of the Nordic French Institutes and their partners, allowing others to follow these artistic and territorial explorations in real time.
In 2024, French artist Ingrid Buffetaut was selected to participate in this unique program.

Applications are open between January and February.

More information at Septentrionales or @ if_officiel @ institutfrancaisdk @ ifnorvege @ ifsuede @ iffinlande

 

The Field Station, Norway

The Field Station is the northernmost artistic residence in the world, located on the isolated Arctic island of Ingøy. This program offers total immersion in the heart of a wild and fragile natural landscape, within a small island community committed to an ecological approach. At its extreme latitude, the island of Ingøy reveals a landscape of powerful contrasts: of snowy dark winters and the Northern Lights, and of bright summers when the summer never sets. This exceptional Arctic environment encourages creation, research, and reflection on the connection between nature and environmental issues. The adventure here is authentic and demanding: an unpredictable climate, violent winds, harsh terrains, strenuous sea crossings, and minimal comfort. The Field Station advocates for a respectful and sustainable way of life far from modern conveniences, to completely immerse oneself in a unique ecological and artistic experience.

Applications are open throughout the year.

More information at The Field Station

 

Arctic Circle Residency, High-Arctic

Established in 2009, The Arctic Circle is an annual program of international residencies that brings together artists, researchers, architects, and educators committed to an approach of collective exploration and reflection on environmental issues. On board a specially equipped expedition ship, participants explore the Svalbard archipelago and the Atlantic Ocean in the heart of the High Arctic, a fragile territory disrupted by global warming. Among the artists who took part in this immersive experience are ceramicist Elise Guillaume in 2023, in addition to artist Julia Hechtman during the summer of 2024. Simultaneously, exhibitions in partner locations, like the University of New England (UNE) Gallery in the American city of Portland, exhibit the reflections and creations emerging from these residencies.

Applications are open until July 15, 2025.

More information at Arctic Circle Residency

 

Ars Bioarctica, Finland

The Bioart Society offers two residency programs: Ars Bioarctica , which encourages collaborations between artists and researchers on the subject of ecological issues of the Subarctic, and Field Notes , a weeklong laboratory workshop to explore scientific problems. Ars Bioarctica is a scientific and artists initiative centered around the Subarctic environment, held at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station in association with the University of Helsinki. In 2025, the station will welcome artists such as Olive Bieringa (New Zealand), Leena Saarinen (Finland) and Carolyn Kirschner (United Kingdom).

Applications close January 30 of each year.

More information at Ars Bioarctica or @ bioartsociety

 

Crespo Foundation, Ireland

The Crespo Foundation in Ireland offers a residency within the Glenkeen Garden, spanning a dozen hectares on the west coast of Cork. Artists participate in an interdisciplinary exchange focused on art and nature with access to a local network of academics from backgrounds in humanities and the natural sciences. In 2023, Italian landscape artists Lorenzo Rebediani , Vera Scaccabarozzi , and Italian artists Luca Trevisani and Francesca Verga, undertook a project through which they examined the ecotone, the transition zone between marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

Applications are open each year between March and May.

More information at Crespo Foundation or @ crespofoundation

 

S+T+ARTS EC(H)O, Germany, Austria, and France

Led by the European Commission, S+T+ARTS EC(H)O supports residencies combining art, science, and technology, focused on ecological and societal challenges. Artists are welcomed in Germany, Austria, and France to develop innovative projects linked to themes defined by each host program.

Among these residencies, S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION concentrates on water-related issues, like supply shortage, pollution, climate change, and the loss of biodiversity. 25 artists are selected for a nine-month residency in four European countries (Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, and Austria) to carry out projects combining artistic research, scientific expertise, and local engagement.

With a budget of 40,000€ per artist, the residency provides mentoring, access to specialized equipment, and international visibility through various exhibitions (Ars Electronica, Venice Biennale, etc.).

Applications close June 13, 2025.

More information at S+T+ARTS EC(H)O Residencies Program or @ startseu

 

KIKK Galaxy Residency, Belgium

KIKK Galaxy, in collaboration with TRAKK , the UNamur and its Astronomical Observatory , as well as Delta – Cultural center of the Namur Province , is holding the Art & Science residency, dedicated to the field of astronomy. Each edition welcomes two artists or collectives: one from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the other from the international scene. Hosted in Delta’s studios in Namur, artists receive financial support, in addition to scientific and curatorial assistance. This residency invites participants to explore or reinterpret scientific data, drawing inspiration from major cosmic themes: exoplanets, black holes, gravity, space debris, the movement of celestial bodies, and time and light on the universal scale.

Applications open in April of each year.

More information at KIKK Galaxy Residency or @ kikk_festival

 

Academic Residency Program TBA21, Italy

Located in Venice, the TBA21 Academy residency offers an artistic immersion at the heart of the fragile ecosystems of the Venetian lagoon. By connecting artists, researchers, actors, locals, and environmental experts, the program promotes artistic research engaged in contemporary ecological issues related to water, living things, and climate transformations. Current residents include Spanish artist Carlos Casas ,  Mauritian artist Nandita Kumar ,and Italian artist Adelita Husni-Bey .

Several calls for applications open throughout the year.

More information at TBA 21 or @ tba_21

 

La Becque, Switzerland

Located on the banks of Lake Geneva, in La Tour-de-Peilz between Vevey and Montreux, La Becque Artist Residency offers a unique setting to welcome artists selected through a call for projects, with a particular emphasis on the relationships between ecology, territories, and technology. Artists in this residency receive support, a creative space, and a grant that allows them to develop often interdisciplinary projects rooted in contemporary ecological issues. Among the artists included this year at La Becque is Phoenix Atala , a French-Moroccan artist whose interdisciplinary craft is grounded in ecological, queer, and decolonial perspectives.

The next call for applications will take place in March 2026.

More information at La Becque or @la_becque

 

Spreepark Art Space, Germany

Since 2024, the Spreepark Art Space offers a residency program at the intersection of art, nature, landscape, and architecture. Nestled in a protected landscape on the bank of the River Spree, this site invites artistic collectives from across the world each year to the Eierhäuschen, an emblematic building undergoing complete transformation. The residency includes a local artistic research program, led in cooperation with a school in Berlin. The artists are immersed in the Spreepark for two years, encouraging creative collaboration with the students. This unique setting provides a nurturing environment for experimentation, to explore ecology not only as a subject, but also as a method of work.

Obtaining application procedures can be done from the manager, Temitayo Oni.

More information at Spreepark Art Space or @spreeparkartspace

 

Nature, Art & Habitat Residency (NAHR), Italy

Each summer in the Taleggio valley in the north of Italy, NAHR welcomes professionals for various disciplines for a month-long residency. This ecological laboratory comprising multidisciplinary practices, which has also had a relay in California since 2021, offers an immersive program that brings together six artists or researchers, as well as a university student. The selected profiles span biology-inspired arts, design, architecture, anthropology, natural sciences, literature, and technology. Each edition explores a specific environmental theme: in 2025, residents are invited to engage in work with minerals.

Applications are open throughout the year.

More information at Nature, Art & Habitat Residency or @ nahr.it

 

Joya: AiR, Spain

In the heart of the Sierra de María-Los Vélez Natural Park in Andalusia, the “Joya: art + ecología/AiR” program, founded in 2009, welcomes artists developing projects at the intersection of art, ecology, and methods of sustainable living. This interdisciplinary, unplugged residency welcomes artists from around the world, plastic artists, writers, performers, musicians, and researchers, for a period of reflection, experimentation, and exchange. Residents have access to a personal studio, twenty hectares of nature, and are invited to engage in a meaningful relationship with their environment. Current residents include Canadian artist Amanda Brown and American artist Emily Zadoretzky , whose practice is based on the responsible extraction of plants and minerals to create her own pigments and fibers in a circular and eco-friendly approach.

The call for applications takes place every year toward April.

More information at Joya: AiR or @ joya_air

 

RAMA Art Residency, Portugal

Located in the Torres Vedras municipality in western Portugal, this residency program is intended for artists, researchers, and exhibition curators, from both the domestic and international communities. Between personalized support, conferences, and tours of the area, projects forge connections with the local community, culture, crafts, and traditional knowledge, as well as the history and landscape of the surrounding region. Fredrik Robens , a German artist who received the fourth residency grant, just opened his exhibition there.

Applications are open throughout the year.

More information at RAMA or @ _ramastudios_

 

Eutopia Art Residency, Greece 

This experience offers several residency programs, including “Awake the Senses”, a creative residency in Melivoia, Mount Kissavos that invites artists to embark on a ten-day immersive journey, combining artistic practices and personal well-being in the heart of nature. The Program “SEA and URBANISM in KAVALA” is a residency program open to a wide range of artists, from architects, writers, art historians, publishers, and musicians, to any other professionals in the international creative sphere. As members of the Eutopia Art Residency group, artists have access to digital archives; support to explore the local community, culture, and cuisine; and an exchange with local artists from various disciplines.

Applications are open at different times of the year depending on the program.

More information at Eutopia Art Residency or @ eutopia_art_residency

 

ArteVentura, Spain

Located in the countryside of Huelva in Andalusia, 100 km from Seville, ArteVentura, which created its eponymous foundation in 2020, is a residency for artists, curators, writers, composers, designers, and architects, situated in a 25-hectare forest property. To join the residency, artists are required to propose a project connected to the site, and to the local communities and craftspeople. The residency meetings include with experts, curators, and collectors, organized by Ana Sanfrutos, the director of Hybrid Art Fair. Designed for four to five artists, a 300 m2 collective studio has been set up in a formerly ruined house that has been renovated. There is an annual call for applications for a stay between four weeks to three months. In 2025, German artist Eva Baumeister and Dutch artist Andrew Bijen participated in this program.

Applications are open until August 30, 2025.

More information at ArteVentura or @ arteventura

 

Convent of Mértola, Portugal

Built 400 years ago, the Franciscan Convent of Mértola overlooks the Oeiras and Guadiana rivers in Portugal’s southern province of Alentejo. The founder of this residency is Christiaan Zwanikken, an internationally-renowned kinetic, robotic, and bio-artist based in Amsterdam. The convent was completely renovated in 1980 by his family, with whom he opened it in hopes of raising awareness of biodiversity among artists. The site contains a botanical garden, inhabited by monkeys, and is maintained in a bio-dynamic manner, following cosmic movements and the Moon. For 25 years, the residency has welcomed a large number of emerging and established artists, designers, musicians, filmmakers, teachers, and scientists.

Applications are open for summer and fall residencies. There is no deadline.

More information at Convento de Mértola or @ conventodemertola

 

International Center for Art and Landscape, France

Situated on the Plateau de Millevaches in Limousin, the Center International d’Art et du Paysage de l’Île de Vassivière (CIAPV) offers a two-month research and creation residency, open to both French and international artists. Within their projects, participants are encouraged to take into account the history and culture of Vassivière Island, and to place their intentions at the heart of the issues developed by the art center, notably the relationship between humans and the environment. Artists receive both an allowance and a residency budget . 

Applications are open for summer and fall residencies until July 13, 2025.

More information at International Center for Art and Landscape or @ ciapvassiviere

 

Platform Residency, Finland

Founded in 2000, Platform is an association managed by artists in Vaasa, Finland. Since its establishment, the residency program explores themes linked to the relationship between local and global communities, peripheries, identity, as well as the dynamics of creative and urban communities. In 2024, the program invited artists to explore the theme of the strange. Past participants include Taiwanese Hsu Yi-Ting and Guyanese Ato Kwamina Hasford, who had the opportunity to meet local activists. Like other residencies in the region, Platform offers Artist2Artist, a series of conferences requiring fluency in English, Swedish, or Finnish. For 2026, the call for projects will focus on the theme of resistance and reparation practices. Selected artists will receive a budget for production, residency, travel, and a grant. The duration of this program is three months . 

Applications are open until June 30, 2025

More information at Platform Residency or @ platform_rf

 

 

Translation: Clayton Turner

Selected by the authors: Pauline Lisowski, Inès Berteuil, Alice Audouin, Juliette Soulez (Art of Change 21)

Cover image: Arctic Circle, Frank Sperling, Joya:Air

Art of Change 21 Journal  (formerly Impact Art News), June 2025 #53

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