KAMP: Lesbos, Greece 

Creative Body Institute invites queer-identifying artists to Lesbos Island in Greece for KAMP, a residency to expand or develop work exploring queer ecologies , queer temporality, and ecofeminist practices. Set within an ecological hermitage, the residency emphasizes human+more than human exploration and a life art ethos where the collective stewarding of our living and creative spaces becomes part of how each participant develops their creative work.

We are seeking artists whose practices engage with, embodiment, interdependence, and temporality through performance, installation, sound, dance, or experimental visual work. Located in an olive grove on the slopes of Mount Lepetymnos, the highest mountain on the island of Lesbos in Greece, our KAMP setting aims to encourage and initiate collaborations that last beyond the residency period.

Artists proposals should be aligned with one of these pathways:

Track 1: Experimental Media & Performativity, July 22 – Aug. 10
Investigate performativity through installation, sound, video, or experimental visual practice, incorporating choreographic or interactive components.

Track 2: Relational & Site-Responsive Work, Aug. 14 – Sept. 2
Develop projects emphasizing interaction, co-presence, and exchange between humans, non-human elements, and the environment.

Track 3: Body-Based & Durational Practice, Sept. 6 – Sept. 24
Explore corporeality, ritual, duration, and movement in relation to space, time, and other participants.

Track 4: Writer in Residence, (select dates to coincide with one of the above tracks)
A writer or scholar developing new work in direct relation to one of the residency tracks. The writer will be embedded within the cohort, engaging with processes of making, site-based practice, and collective life, producing new writing or expanding a current writing project that will benefit from lived artistic research during KAMP.

KAMP is a communal residency with simple cabin-based housing designed for relational living and close proximity between artists. Outdoor kitchen, shower house and bathrooms are all communal.

How to apply?

To apply, please review the process, timeline, and co-funding structure and fill in the online application form below.

*5-7 artists will be selected for each track and cohort.

There are three cabins. You may apply to any cabin as an individual artist willing to share space or a duo. Trios or small groups should apply to the Queer Family Cabin. Individual artists seeking solitude can apply to the cozy cabin.

1. Queer Family Cabin (2–3 artists)
One double bed + one single bed. Suitable for trios or for two artists who may not know each other but are open to shared living arrangements.

2. Cozy Cabin (1 artist)
Single loft bed (ladder access). Suitable for one artist.

3. Sanctuary Cabin (2 artists)
One double bed for two artists comfortable sharing a bed.

:::

This is a shared living environment in a sustainable eco-art hermitage (solar power, conscious water-use, minimal hot water during summer months, limited wifi/cellular data), with abundance of nature surrounded by olive groves and the Aegean Sea.

Artists should be comfortable with:

  • Close communal living

  • Shared rhythms and spaces

  • Collective food organization (restocking pantry with local deliveries + communal cooking)

  • Off the grid ethos

Application Process & Timeline

Application Deadline May 22, 2026.

5-7 artists will be selected for each cohort and early submission is encouraged.

Timeline

May 22, 2026: 23h59 CET
Applications close

May 25-29: Virtual Interviews of candidates
Final notifications of acceptance (including cohort placement or waitlist

June 1: Final Notifications of Acceptance

Arrival and Departure dates

  • Track 1/Cohort A: arrival July 22 departure August 10

  • Track 2/Cohort B: arrival August 14, departure September 2

  • Track 3/ Cohort C: arrival September 4, departure September 26

Application Outline

You cannot save a draft of your application and may want to prepare materials in advance.

The application asks for:

  • Names, pronouns, country of residence, and websites for all applicants

  • The best contact email and phone number with country code if selected for a virtual interview

  • 350 word Project Description relative to the residency track and cohort you are applying to

  • 1-2 links to samples of previous work (any medium, no restrictions or time limit on video)

  • Link to an artist or group portfolio (optional; no portfolio needed if the work sample adequately represents your work)

  • Brief Artist Bio(s) (350 words)

  • 2 questions

    • Question 1: In what ways does your artistic practice engage with collective environments or shared infrastructures, and how do you contribute to sustaining those conditions while developing your own work?

    • Question 2: What excites you about KAMP? What are you looking forward to?

Upon acceptance
Selected artists will be asked to confirm participation within 5 days.

A €100 program deposit will be due to confirm participation. The deposit is non-refundable and deducted from the total artist contribution to the co-funded residency.

What’s Included

  • Quiet, non-commercial environment for your creative work

  • Accommodation in Sleeping Cabin (private or shared, depending on selection and preference)

  • Shared Artist workspaces (indoor and outdoor, site-responsive)

  • Outdoor kitchen/pergola and communal gathering areas

  • Groceries for shared meals and CBI staff support in organizing collective food systems and cooking meals. Meals will be primarily vegetarian (seasonal) and pescatarian (local).

  • Two on-site artist-faculty from CBI to support your creative work and development as well as the logistics of KAMPing together.

  • Mentorship and feedback on your work from Creative Body Institute artist, faculty, and curatorial network.

  • Structured and informal group programming

  • Opportunities for sharing work-in-progress

  • Documentation of work (photo and video)

  • Immersion in a remote natural environment, with walking path to the surrounding Aegean Sea

  • Group Programming may include:

    • Shared practice sessions

    • Work-in-progress presentations

    • Peer exchange and collaborative experimentation

    • Light-touch prompts or facilitated sessions with CBI artist-faculty on site

    • Collective reflection

The structure is intentionally open and adaptive, allowing KAMP to become a place to dive into your process and develop your work free from distractions.

Co-Funding Model

KAMP operates on a co-funded participation model supported by Creative Body Institute which is an artist-run non-profit organization.

  • Total KAMP residency cost per artist: €2,500

  • Amount funded through Creative Body Institute: €1,350

  • Artist contribution: €1,150

The artist contribution does not include travel, visa costs, airport transfers, travel insurance, or personal food (restaurant or food items that are not included in shared meals). Accepted artists will receive an official acceptance letter and can request a letter of support for funding purposes.

::

A contribution waiver is available for one artist per cohort.

Applicants may request consideration by selecting the contribution waiver option on the application form.

All applications are first evaluated and ranked based on artistic strength, relevance to the selected track, and cohort composition. The selection committee does not consider waiver requests during this stage.

After selections are made, waiver requests are reviewed separately. One artist per cohort will receive a waiver based on:

  • Indication of financial need

  • Cohort balance and distribution of support

Food and Meals

Groceries for shared meals are included in the overall cost of the residency . Meals are organized and cooked as a collectively managed system across each cohort.

  • Grocery provisioning is coordinated prior to arrival by the organizers, based on dietary needs and cohort size

  • Groceries are ordered and purchased in advance from local farmers and sources. Some groceries are delivered, some will need to be picked up throughout the residency. This is managed on site and all artists must be willing to participate in a collective food system.

  • There are restaurants but no grocery stores in Sykaminea. As much of our food as possible is sourced from local farmers.

The system ensures food security, eco-practices, shared responsibility, and reduced individual cost through collective planning.

There are restaurants and cafés in the village within walking distance, but there is no grocery store within walking distance of the residency.

ACCESSIBILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE NOTE

The hermitage where KAMP takes place sits above the village of Sykaminea and requires walking unpaved terrain to reach the Agean Sea. While the location creates a tranquil environment for collaboration, reflection and creativity, it also means that those with mobility impairments may find the terrain and lack of nearby infrastructure difficult to navigate.