Argo residencies provide time and space to develop your practice in a social, supportive, and stimulating environment.

They are open to artists, writers, performers, musicians, scholars, and any other creatives.

All of our residencies take place in Athens, Greece.

You’ll stay in our neo-classical apartments…

Where you will feel like a Hungarian princess contemplating the decadent times. Or you can play flâneur, sipping coffee at one of the 13 cafes in the square outside.

There are two kitchens, two bathrooms, five bedrooms, and a large shared lounge.

… be part of a creative community …

… work in our large, bright studios …

We have up to seven residents at a time, so Argo provides plenty of opportunities for learning new skills from your fellow residents, working collaboratively, or simply hanging out.

Residents regularly share meals, go to art shows together, and many leave the residency with new friends.

… and get personalised support to develop your practice.

We support residents by providing personalised recommendations for places to go, things to do, and people to meet in Athens.

We can often arrange meetings with local artists, we know where you can source specialised materials, and we’ll help you quickly find your feet, scene, and inspiration in this amazing city.

We have private and shared studios, a store of basic materials, a woodshop, a kitchen, a library for quiet working or reading, and endless Athenian light.

Every residency offers:

— Accommodation in either a private or shared bedroom. If you choose a shared bedroom, you’ll be sharing with one other person. There are two kitchens and two bathrooms, a large shared space, and two balconies. The apartments are basic, but comfortable and beautiful.

— Studio space for your research and practice. We can often offer a private studio, but it depends on everyone’s needs. Painting, playing music, dancing, and arcane rituals are all allowed.

— Woodshop, tools, and some limited supplies such as paper, paint, scrap fabric, and strange, small pieces of plastic whose purpose has been long forgotten.

— Access to our small but growing lending library.

— Personalized recommendations for research and creative resources: readings, shops, museums, ancient sites, etc.

— Connections with the local art scene.

We offer two types of residency:

〰️Self-directed residencies‍ ‍

Allow you to focus on a project or practice of your own choice. They are open year-round, and most residents choose to come for 1-2 months.

Themed residencies

Draw together a group of creatives with similar interests. They take place over a set period (usually 3-5 weeks), and can provide a chance to work collaboratively.

FAQs

  • Residencies at Argo Studios last from a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of 3 months. We recommend residents stay for one or two months to fully take advantage of all the monthly events and programs we offer.

    There is so much to see, do, and experience in Athens. In order to fully immerse yourself in this inspiring atmosphere and have time to explore it in your creative practice, we believe a month long residency is the ideal starting point.

  • The Argo Mansions are a pair of 107-year-old neoclassical apartments in Kypseli. Honestly, they are beautiful, with decorative plaster moldings on really high ceilings, and furnished with a mixture of vintage and contemporary furniture.

    The bedrooms vary in size, but all have tall ceilings and natural light. There are two kitchens and two bathrooms - all fairly small but perfectly functional.

    The building itself is located a few feet away from bars, tavernas, cafes, and a lovely gelato shop.

  • Most residents have their own space in our shared studios, which are large enough that you won’t feel cramped. If you’d like a private studio, though, please let us know and we can normally arrange that.

  • Anyone aged 18-118 with a creative project or practice: artists, writers, thinkers, academics, performers, dancers, directors, etc.

    We welcome both emerging and well-established creative practitioners and scholars.

    If you’re interested in a residency but aren’t sure if you or your project will fit in, just get in touch with us!

  • We offer simple studio set-ups, with tables, easels, lamps, and storage. In terms of media, we can accommodate painting, drawing, writing, research, performance, sculpture, dance, and textile craft.

    You will have access to a wood shop, with tools and safety gear.

    In terms of art supplies, you will need to provide your own materials. There are 6 excellent art supply shops within a short walk from the studios; we will be happy to guide you there.

    There is also some AV equipment available, including TVs, a mic, and an amp. If you are interested in specific performance/dance rehearsal space, let us know, and we can arrange that as well.

    You will also have access to a rotating series of cultural events hosted in our project space: artist talks and lectures by visiting guest artists, group and solo exhibitions, film screenings, workshops, and performances.

  • The standard price for an Argo residency is €455 per week for a private bedroom, and €350 per week for a shared room.

    If you go for a shared room, you’ll be. sharing with one other person, maximum.

    This includes your accommodation, bills, access to the studios, participation in monthly events, and access to the woodshop.

    It doesn’t include the cost of your travel, or food while in Greece. We recommend you budget €100-€300 per week for food.

    Lots of residents apply for funding to cover the cost of their residency. We can provide a letter of support if that’s you.

  • We are working towards making our program as financially accessible as possible, in order to include as diverse a residency community as we can.

    At the moment we cannot provide scholarships or stipends, but please sign up for our newsletter or follow us on social media to stay updated on developments in the near future.

  • Athens is a dynamic city pulsing with electric energy, and Exarcheia is one of the liveliest neighborhoods of them all. Historically, Exarcheia has been home to radical political gatherings, and today is no different: alongside trendy boutiques, cozy cafes, and welcoming neighborhood bars there are anarchist gathering spaces, socialist collectives, and a whole lot of graffiti. Is it safe? Generally speaking, yes. As in any major metropolis, keep your wits about you, especially when you walk around late at night. There can be pickpockets throughout the city who tend to target tourists, but we have never heard of anyone being robbed in our neighborhood. You will see riot police patrolling the (now walled off) central square of Exarcheia. Don’t be alarmed- they are there every single day, and most of the time they drink coffee, chat with each other, and stand there looking intimidating. We recommend avoiding interaction with them.

    In general, Greeks are a passionate, politically engaged people. When there are calls for a general strike, or a major protest, everyone turns out: parents, children, students, senior citizens. These can sometimes become fiery encounters, usually heightened by riot police tactics, and/or far left activist movements. (See: recent nationwide protests about the Tempi train crash). The center of downtown, where these protests usually take place, is about a 30 minute walk from the residency. So you can choose whether or not you want to witness/ participate in this kind of event.

    There are also occasional clashes between protestors and police in Exarcheia. These usually amount to young men throwing bottles at the police, or sometimes molotov cocktails, and the police using stun guns or spraying teargas in return. These encounters are rare nowadays, and usually take place at around 2 or 3 in the morning, when they do happen. But still, we recommend keeping your wits about you, and being aware of your surroundings. We live here all year round, and feel very safe. Feel free to ask us any questions or for more information on this subject. 

  • While we would love to be able to accommodate everyone, unfortunately the answer is no.

    The residency accommodation is up one flight of stairs in an old building with no elevator, making it inaccessible for people with certain physical disabilities.

    There is an elevator in the studios building.

    In terms of other forms of accessibility, please get in touch- we are happy to find solutions to make our residencies suitable for your needs.

  • Dog: no.

    Everyone else: probably.

    If you want to do a residency with your partner or friend, please let us know (on your application form). We can generally arrange it so that you are sharing a bedroom and studio with them.

    We don’t generally allow individual residents to share their room with someone who isn’t doing a residency - the accommodation would get very full if we did.

    All this said, if you have any questions about bringing someone with you, please get in touch and we’ll try our best to accommodate you.

    If you are interested in applying as a larger group, please get in touch with us as well- we are happy to discuss a specific residency reserved for your group only.

Self-Directed Residency

Open all year except August and December

A self-directed residency provides you with accommodation, studio space, and access to the cultural riches of Athens. It provides a chance to focus on a particular project, conduct research, or experiment with new practices.

Funding may be available for European artists via Culture Moves Europe.

Eco-Witchery

The occult in a time of climate crisis

February 8th - March 17th 2027

Our coven will gather as winter turns to spring in the ancient necropolis that is Athens, drawn here by a shared interest in the murky, hidden, sacral connections between ecology and the occult. Carnival is in the air, the earth is awakening, and the city is bathed in Sahara dust and a cold wind from the Steppe.

The focus is on exploration & research, and we are open to a wide range of themes and approaches …

worlding networks of kinship & care — divination (ancient Greek and otherwise) — botany, eroticism, agriculture and myth — Donna Haraway, Anna Tsing — trance states — prophecies at Delphi — entanglement — ghosts (and climate crisis) — traditional nature caring & engagement practices — knot magic — plant magic — altars and shrines — potions — herbal remedies — witches as healers — full moon dances — Silvia Federici — animism & pantheism rewilding — ecology/sex/death practice — fear of the occult/ vilification of witches — supernatural appreciation of nature — pleasure of entanglement with more-than-human species — werewolves — animal familiars — Eleusinian mystery rites — shamanic/ mystical encounters with plant/animal consciousness — etc. — etc. — etc.

Funding may be available for European artists via Culture Moves Europe.

Overtouristification

International capital and homogenisation

July 1 - 30

Apply by March 30

For Argo’s summer 2026 themed residency, we invite artists & scholars & writers & philosophers & thinkers & movement people & craft makers to come together in Athens, Greece during July, the height of tourist season, to investigate the consequences of tourism and re-imagine the search for belonging.

In July 2025, Athens hosted about 7 million tourists. For a city of about 3.5 million, that means a lot of extra everything. The land, the people, the resources, and the sites are squeezed by the tourist desire for - what? Escape, experience, exploration, a break from the norm and the grind. The tourist comes and adds pressure to the city, and brings money/ jobs, and homogenizes culture. People in Athens are fighting back, especially in Exarchia. Signs and chants say “Tourists go home!” Now, a thorny reflection: if you, as an artist, a writer, a creator, a scholar, if you come to visit Athens one July, and you stay for a solid several weeks, and you really immerse in the local scene, what does that make you? Are you also a tourist? Is it also a problem?

Funding may be available for European artists via Culture Moves Europe.