Deniz Villaları 2026 Çağrısı

• Residency period: Between September and October 2026, for a duration of five weeks. This includes one collective week on a boat (approximately between September 1 and 10, subject to weather conditions) and one month in a residency venue located near the sea. During the residency period, workshops for young artists will be held at the end of October. Participation of Deniz Villaları residents is welcomed.
• Selected artists will receive:
  • Coverage of economy-class round-trip travel expenses between the artist’s country of residence and the residency location (up to €900 total).
  • Accommodation and mentoring provided by the host residency venues.
  • A €1,000 production grant.
  • A €1,000 living allowance or meals provided by the hosting institution.
  • Access to a fully equipped workspace.
  • Artistic and logistical support provided by the host residency venues on site.
  • A potential stay at sea is mandatory, depending on project requirements and the availability of partner boats.
• Disciplines considered: Visual arts, music or sound, dance, public space practices, audiovisual arts, media, journalism, literature, art criticism, and curatorial practices.

Applications must be submitted via the following form before May 31, 2026:
https://forms.gle/gnabN8VXjneLyyxk9

Please ensure that all required documents are uploaded as a single PDF file (maximum 10 MB) within the form.

Questions: denizvillalari@ifturquie.org

Please note that only applications submitted via the online form will be considered. Applications sent by email will not be accepted or reviewed.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Be a French, German, Greek or Turkish national, or have been residing in France, Germany, Greece or Turkey for at least three years.
• Provide proof of civil liability insurance (only selected candidates will be required to provide it; this is not mandatory for the application stage). 
• Have a good command of English.

Required Documents:

• • Curriculum Vitae (max. 4 pages).
  • Artistic portfolio with approximately ten images of artworks including full captions (max. 15 pages).
    If applicable, links to videos on Vimeo, YouTube, or SoundCloud should be included.
  • Residency project proposal (2 to 4 pages), outlining the applicant’s motivations, research theme, expectations regarding the residency, and the desired residency location.

  Applicants may select up to two residency locations from the program’s partner network.

  A jury composed of art professionals and representatives from hosting institutions will carry out the selection process.

• • • Application deadline: May 31, 2026
      Results announcement: June 19, 2026
      Online preparatory seminar: July 2026
      Residency period: September-October 2026
      Public presentation and closing event: To be defined.A committee of experts and representatives from the partner institutions will evaluate applications based on the following criteria:
      • Artistic quality and relevance of the project.
      • Alignment of the project with the residency themes.
      • Candidate’s adaptability to a new environment and ability to engage with local stakeholders.

      Only selected candidates will be contacted. Unsuccessful applicants will not be notified and individual feedback will not be provided. 

📧 Contact: denizvillalari@ifturquie.org

Turkish and Mediterranean Institutions:

For french, greek or german artists : 

• K2 Urla Breathing Zone (Urla)

K2 Urla Breathing Zone (K2UBZ) is located on a fourty-five-decare plot of land surrounded by forest in the Kuşçular District of Urla, İzmir, Türkiye. It serves as a campus where artists can accommodate and work in close connection to nature. The site features handcrafted wooden structures and landscaping tailored to the natural environment. K2UBZ includes eight bungalows that fonction as bıth living spaces and studios for resident artists. Additional facilities include a high- ceilinged common area suitable for gatherings and performances, a spacious communal kitchen, a gazebo, and a small pond. The compound is also equipped with a wood workshop, a ceramic kiln, and an upright piano.

Maquis Projects (Izmir)

Maquis Projects is inspired by the maquis landscape, a Mediterranean scrubland ecosystem. Maquis, originally associated with the Mediterranean region, can also be found in parts of California, South Africa, coastal Chile, and South Asia. It is the climate of Izmir, Turkey. Maquis Projects draws inspiration from the idea of Maquis as a unique ecosystem, where specific climatic and topographic conditions shape distinct fauna and flora to explore ecologies of disconnected locations that share common textures and scales.

• Studio MAHAL (Çanakkale)

Opened in the fall of 2013, MAHAL is Çanakkale’s first independent art center. Alongside international projects initiated by CABININ, MAHAL serves as a versatile and open space, infrastructure, and communication network for original, non-profit projects spanning different disciplines of art from Çanakkale, Turkey, and around the world. It hosts productions, exhibitions, screenings, and civil society activities, and functions as an archive of contemporary art and culture.

StudioMAHAL is another registered stone warehouses along the Sarıçay River. These stone buildings, typical examples of 19th-century maritime trade architecture in the Northern Aegean region, reflect Çanakkale’s multicultural past.

The aim of the StudioMAHAL artist-in-residence program is to host artists with professional, theoretical, and pedagogical experience from various artistic disciplines. It seeks to create an environment in which these artists can both share their knowledge, experience, and insights with young local artists and cultural professionals, and also focus on their own research or production.

During the Artist-in-Residence Program, an interface will be created to facilitate interaction with various local NGOs, experts and researchers in the fields of culture, art, archaeology, history, and ecology, as well as different archives, libraries, cultural institutions, and local art production workshops.

Gümüşlük Festival Centre (Gümüşlük)

Gümüşlük Festival Centre is located on the shoreline of Gümüşlük, a coastal village on the Bodrum Peninsula in southwestern Türkiye, on the Aegean Sea. The site is built on the remains of the ancient city of Myndos. Archaeological traces of the settlement are still present in the landscape, both on land and in the shallow water, including stone structures and submerged harbour elements along the coastline.

The centre is positioned directly at the interface between land and sea. Its buildings and infrastructure are light and dispersed, with most functions organised in relation to outdoor space and seasonal use. The site remains open to wind, light, and sea conditions, which directly shape daily activity.

Accommodation consists of simple bungalow units on site. Facilities are shared.

The primary working space is an earthbag building that deliberately departs from conventional construction methods in the region, using natural materials and low-impact building techniques It is used during the summer for music masterclasses and throughout the year provides a flexible working space for workshops, artistic production, and small-scale presentations.

The centre includes a functioning café-restaurant, operating daily as part of the site’s routine. It is used by artists, students, and visitors throughout the day.

Three additional rooms equipped with pianos provide individual practice spaces.

The site operates seasonally, with intensified activity during the festival period and reduced use outside of it. Its organisation is shaped by proximity to the sea, changing weather conditions, and the rhythm of the festival programme.

For French – German / Turkish Artists : 2 persons

Arkadia Residenz Thessaloniki

The Arkadia Residenz Thessaloniki is the residency programme of the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki, developed as part of its long-standing commitment to artistic exchange. It welcomes cultural practitioners from all disciplines for focused periods of work and research.

Housed in a listed historic villa, the residency offers an inspiring environment for short-term stays as well as multi-week projects. German, Greek, and international partners are invited to use the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki as a base for connecting with the city’s vibrant cultural scene and for developing their own artistic initiatives.

Situated in close proximity to the sea, Thessaloniki offers a rich cultural and historical context shaped by layers of Mediterranean exchange. The residency provides an ideal setting for projects engaging with questions of ecology, urban space, memory, and coexistence.

Residents have access to three living spaces and, depending on their needs, to additional workspaces, the institute’s gallery, auditorium, and library. Through its local and international networks, the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki supports connections with artists, institutions, and experts, fostering dialogue and collaboration within the framework of the Deniz Villaları programme.

For Turkish / Greek Artists :  2 persons

Friche la Belle de Mai – Résidences Méditerranée (Marseille)

Since 2015, Friche la Belle de Mai and the Institut Français of Morocco have launched the “Résidence Méditerranée” program. In 2017, it expanded to include the Institut Français offices in Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Armenia, and Jerusalem (Ramallah office). This residency program is designed to welcome emerging artists from Morocco, Algeria, Iran, and Egypt to Marseille and support their mobility across the Mediterranean. The Friche offers them a tailored research and creation framework to develop their artistic practice and (re)connect with the French contemporary art scene. Residents receive mentoring from a professional, a research grant, a living allowance, accommodation, and a studio at the Friche. Public open studios, professional encounters (with curators, critics, journalists, etc.) are organized throughout the residency to foster new collaborations and enhance the visibility of the artists’ work in progress.

This residency program presents a unique opportunity to explore the ecological challenges of the Mediterranean through artistic creation while fostering sustainable collaborations across the region’s evolving landscape.

         

Call for Applications Document PDF : Deniz Villaları