Castelo Studio

Spain

Mediums Welcome

About This Residency

Castelo Studio is an artist-run residency and creative space located in a small rural village in Galicia, Northern Spain, surrounded by nature and close to the Atlantic coast and the city of A Coruña. Founded by artist Iria do Castelo, the studio offers an intimate environment where artists (writers, musicians, photographers, illustrators, visual artists, researchers, and other creative practitioners) can step away from their usual routines and dedicate time and attention to their projects. The residency combines private accommodation with access to a shared studio and workshop, creating the conditions for focused research and production, while encouraging informal exchange between different artistic practices and cultures. Residencies are offered throughout the year on a rolling basis, with stays ranging from one week to three months. More than a place to work, Castelo Studio is conceived as a temporary home for artists: a space to slow down, concentrate, experiment and connect.

Experience & Atmosphere

Life at Castelo Studio follows a slower, more flexible rhythm, shaped by the natural surroundings rather than by a fixed institutional schedule. Artists have their own private room and the freedom to organize their days according to their creative process, while sharing the studio workshop and common areas of the house. The setting is an important part of the experience. Castelo Studio is located in the Mariñas Coruñesas landscape, at the foot of Monte Xalo, in a restored traditional Galician farmhouse, surrounded by trees and countryside. The atmosphere is quiet and intimate, offering distance from the intensity of urban life without being isolated from the cultural life of A Coruña and wider region. Days can move naturally between concentrated work in the studio, walks, conversations, shared meals, and moments of solitude. The boundaries between working and living are deliberately relaxed. This creates an environment where unexpected conversations, collaborations and cultural exchanges can emerge organically. The residency is intentionally small-scale. Rather than a large internaitonal centre with a formal program, Castelo Studio offers the experience of living and working alongside the host artist, collaborating in the organic garden duties, being involved in the open studio events, and becoming, for a while, part of a creative home.

Mission & Goals

The mission of Castelo Studio is to create a welcoming space where artistic practice, connection to nature, cultural exchange, local heritage and a slower way of living can coexist. The residency aims to: _ Provide artists with time, space and the right conditions to focus on research, experimentation and the development of new work. _ Encourage exchange between artists from different countries, disciplines and backgrounds. _ Support independent artistic practices through an intimate, flexible and non-institutional environment. _ Foster connections between contemporary art, craftsmanship, design, nature, and sustainable ways of living. _ Create opportunities for informal dialogue, knowledge sharing and collaboration. _ Connect international creative practices with the local context of Galicia and its culture. _ Make artistic processes more accesible through occasional open studios, workshops, presentations and public encounters.