We currently have five artists’ studios available for residents, which can be either individual or shared. Participants in any of our programs form a temporary community, sharing common spaces and, due to the building’s interconnected layout, occasionally passing through one another’s studios, which encourages greater interaction and facilitates permeability between their work.
Artistic Residencies
General Info
Research Process
AADK residencies are a space-time dedicated to research and creation, conceived for artists and practitioners who need to pause, experiment, and work in depth.
We foster experimentation and reflection, placing value on the process itself. We believe in slow processes, in trial and error, and in situated thinking.
Curatorial Framework / Lines of Action
The different residency programs resonate with the platform’s broader Commitments and Lines of Action, placing the focus on:
- Research / Creation
- Process / Experimentation
- Context / Environment
- Body / Territory / Spatiality
- Ecoacoustics / Aurality
- Embodied, cultural, and political listening
- More-than-human communities
- BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ perspectives and practices
- Coexistence / Politics of care
- Collaborative creation
- From the local to the global
- Critical pedagogies
- Transmission of knowledge
* If you apply to our Cruce program, you may develop your work with complete thematic freedom, without the need to establish a direct relationship with AADK’s context and/or curatorial lines.
** We invite everyone who visits us to practice forms of coexistence grounded in mutual care, respect for difference, and a sensitive attentiveness to the people, relationships, and environment we share.
What the Residency Offers
- Accommodation
- Workspace and exhibition space
- Welcome coffee at the beginning of the month
- Access to our technical equipment
- Work follow-up (mentoring)
- Curatorial guidance
- Documentation
- Visibility on social media and/or press (communication support)
- Technical guidance
- Production assistance (production costs not included)
- Presentation of processes
* The elements listed above are included in our residency programs, except for Cruce (modular residency), where you may select the modules or services you wish to contract when completing your application. Please continue reading for more information.
* Additionally, we offer a range of personal care and support services, including access to bicycles (subject to availability), massage sessions (Shiatsu, Ayurveda, and classical), yoga sessions, extra cleaning services, English classes (individual or group), and childcare support. For more information, please, contact us.
Temporary Community
*AADK is a family-friendly space and welcomes children. Pets are also allowed, provided that the responsible person stays in a private apartment.
Our programs and activities involve local, national, and international participants. Those who are part of AADK Spain, as well as those who visit us, become agents within a temporary and shared community, in dialogue with the local community of Blanca’s residents. In this context, each person assumes the commitment to contribute to a respectful and harmonious coexistence within a small-scale environment.
We understand this experience as an opportunity for encounter, exchange, and engagement with the creative processes of other participants, as well as with the social fabric and everyday life of the place that hosts us.
Accessibility
Unfortunately, due to the topography of the surrounding area and the architectural characteristics of the space, our center is not currently accessible for people with reduced mobility. Our sincerest apologies.
How to apply
Visit our Open Calls section, where you will find all the calls currently open at this time of year, as well as the documents required for the application process. Find the program that best suits your needs, and do not hesitate to write to us if you would like to propose any alternative option.
Artists from all disciplines are welcome to apply, as well as researchers who take artistic practice as their object of study or as part of their methodology.
We especially encourage applications from LGBTIQ+ and BIPOC individuals, and particularly from communities affected by armed conflict, exile, and structural exclusion.
Current / Ongoing Programs
They are part of AADK’s regular activities, occurring annually or on an ongoing basis.
SITUATED RESIDENCIES
Residency program for research and creation in context, connected to the territory and/or local communities. A transdisciplinary space that embraces the diversity of forms, languages, and methodologies of contemporary creation.
The AADK curatorial team proposes a theme that can inspire participating artists and connect different works, forming a polyhedral dialogue among participants.
The residency lasts from one to six months, with two months being the recommended minimum. The call opens several times a year.
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CRUCE
Multidisciplinary residencies with an open theme, in which artists are not required to adapt their creative process to the local context or adopt situated approaches, although these may also emerge spontaneously. This program is aimed at artists seeking a retreat to work on personal projects with flexibility and autonomy, or simply to rest.
It is a modular residency program where you can tailor your stay, adapting the experience to your needs.
The duration of the residency is flexible, with a minimum of 2 weeks. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. Reservations are made in order of request.
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ON DURATION
ON DURATION is an international artist residency program focused on durational and site-specific practice, conceived and founded by performance artist and academic Dr. Raegan Truax.
The residency provides a space for artistic growth and critical reflection, inviting participants to explore time as material, method, and political stance through their practice. Dominant productive rhythms are questioned, and alternative temporalities are experimented with, understanding durational practice as a tool to challenge and unsettle oppressive systems and structures.
The program seeks to bring together an intergenerational and international working group, fostering the exchange of methodologies, experiences, and diverse perspectives around time as artistic material.
Interested applicants may apply to take part in the residency for one or one month in July and in September, through an open call. There will be the possibility to extend the residency to two months upon request and under special conditions.
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SONORAS
Spaces for research and production focused on sound art and experimental music. The work unfolds from an eco-acoustic perspective, centering deep listening to the environment as an embodied, cultural, and political practice. There is also a particular interest in traditional sounds and their dialogue with contemporary practices, exploring continuities that move from the root to noise.
Applications can be submitted through the open call for Situated Residencies. The duration ranges from one to six months, with two months being the recommended minimum. The call opens several times a year.
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Specific / One-off Programs
Over the years, AADK has developed specific programs that have taken place at particular moments, yet remain a fundamental part of our history. These programs are preserved as a visual and documentary archive, bearing witness to the evolution of our lines of research.
IMMERSIVES
The Immersive Residencies at Salinas del Curro take place in a desert natural environment that invites an artistic exploration deeply connected to the surroundings. Through isolation, embodied listening and attention are heightened in a becoming-landscape.
The program is currently on pause to allow the territory itself to rest and regenerate.
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CRITICAL SPACIALITIES
Artistic research residencies that explore the relationships between territory, technology, and ecologies from a critical and situated perspective. The projects engage with deep time, water, and the metabolic rifts of the territory as central axes of inquiry. A space to rethink productivity, water use, and the spatialities that emerge from the relationship between land and technology.
Anyone interested in this line of work may apply through the multidisciplinary open call for Situated Residencies.
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EXPANDED SPACES
AADK expands into other rural territories through collaborations with like-minded spaces, activating diverse contexts beyond its usual base. These residencies, of variable duration, are open to artists and practitioners from all disciplines and are developed in dialogue with each place and its community.
If you have a space and would like to collaborate, we are open to proposals.
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Work spaces
Centro Negra
Centro Negra is the main headquarters of AADK Spain and functions as a working area and, occasionally, as an exhibition space. The building is located on the hill of Blanca’s historic quarter, crowned by a 12th-century Mozarabic castle. This area is composed of an old network of narrow alleyways and is accessible only on foot (approximately a 5-minute walk from the center of Blanca).
At the beginning of the 20th century, the area was used for animal breeding, giving rise to a series of small constructions that served as corrals, which later fell into disuse. In 2009, a group of these structures was restored and transformed into the modern, integrated building that is now Centro Negra, composed of six different interconnected spaces. Each of them is unique in scale and morphology, creating a highly versatile complex capable of adapting to multiple purposes.
Co-Working
Our coworking space is located at Centro Negra, in the same building as our artists’ studios, with excellent views over the valley. It is a spacious office with an outdoor rest area and a small kitchen for preparing tea and coffee. Access to the coworking space is included in all residency programs.
Studios
Casa Jazmin
Casa Jazmín is a former artisan house, adjacent to Centro Negra, preserved in its original state. It is currently used as a workspace and studio for site-responsive projects connected to craft, materiality, and the exploration of spatiality.
Accomodation
Apartaments
The individual apartments/studios are equipped with a private kitchen and bathroom (shower + toilet) and share a terrace with excellent views of the valley. The apartments are adjacent to Centro Negra, with direct access to the studios and work areas. They are fully furnished and include bed linen and towels.
EDOM / Shared house
The shared house, called EDOM, is located a 5-minute walk from the main building, Centro Negra. It consists of six bedrooms, a shared living room, one shared kitchen, and three bathrooms. It is equipped with a washing machine, bed linen, and towels. EDOM is situated in the heart of the village, offering excellent access to all shops and local businesses. It is ideal for immersing yourself in the life of Blanca and fostering exchange and collaboration.
+ Info
For information on costs and other important details, please read the Terms and Conditions document carefully (downloadable below). Almost all of our programs operate based on these terms.
If you are considering applying to Cruce, you can find the relevant documents at this link.
