In 2026, Kinitiras makes a strong comeback in the field of performing arts residencies in Greece and is teaming up with Chico’s Productions for a week-long creation residency in August, in Athens, Greece. During this week, Nicole and Sophia (Chico’s Production’s CEOs) are literally opening the doors of their home. This multidisciplinary residency aims to connect people across the world and across the art forms. Creators are invited to play and explore within the frame that the idea of “Home” inspires. 

The residency hosts 10 artists in total, providing each of them with the necessary space and tools to create within the span of a week. Four artists from abroad, a choreographer, a fine artist, a photographer, and a writer, will be staying with Sophia and Nicole at their family house. Six artists who live in Athens Greece, three choreographers and three fine artists will be residents from the comfort of their homes. 

Each artist is called to bring their own definition of the word “Home” into their craft, while experiencing first-hand the home of Nicole and Sophia or re-connecting with their own home from a new perspective. Throughout the week, participants will have access to a creative space, as well as the opportunity to receive guidance and engage in meaningful exchanges with professionals from different artistic fields. After 6 days of creation each artist will get a chance to share their work in progress with an audience at Technourgeio, a cultural space in a central deprived neighborhood of Athens.

Open call

This open call has two parts: one addressing artists based in Athens, and one addressing artists from abroad, with 2 positions reserved for candidates from vulnerable countries, specifically Venezuela, Palestine, Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, and Syria. In both open calls, we are looking for artists regardless of age and country, who value dialogue and are open to engaging with fellow residents, contributing to a shared and collaborative atmosphere in a pet-friendly environment. 

Athens-Based Open Call

​https://forms.gle/jat7gkEojNAUxk466

This open call addresses choreographers and fine artists based in Athens. The 6 selected applicants will be provided with studio space for creation for the whole week, participation in the residency’s evening events (see daily schedule) and available mentorship/conversation from professionals in each field if required. All residents will get the chance to showcase their work in progress in the art space Tehnourgeio in Athens at the end of the week. 

International Open Call

https://forms.gle/BConuXwsKPKxfaaF6

This open call addresses artists from all over the world across the following fields: choreography, photography, writing, fine art.  The 4 selected applicants will be provided with accommodation (more details below) as well as studio space for creation, access to all evening events and available mentorship/conversation if required from local professionals in each field.  Applications are open worldwide, with two of the four available positions reserved for candidates from vulnerable countries, specifically Venezuela, Palestine, Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, and Syria.

Both open calls will run from January 26 to April 30, 2026, with results to be announced on May 15, 2026. 

Cost:  550 € for foreign artists, 200 € for Greek artists 

Half of the fee is paid upon selection, and the remaining half is paid in June 2026.

Important Note: 

There is one scholarship offered for one artist based in Athens. However we invite you not to let the cost of the residency discourage you, as our team is currently searching for funding. It is vital for us to support artists and their craft as much as we can. Feel free to be vocal about any concerns regarding the financials, and we will do our best to assist accordingly.

More information about the residency

Chico’s Productions is an entity designed by Nicole and Sophia Maltezaki, two sisters from Greece who have lived in and out of home for a few years now. Nicole is a dancer and actor based in London and Sophia a composer and film maker based in the Netherlands. The essence of home has been more and more present since they’ve been away and their home in Athens is the one they always come back to.  Everything Chico’s Productions has created and is creating has been with the hope of sharing a part of the family, a glimpse of their home with the rest of the world. It only feels right to literally open the doors of their home in the Southern suburbs of Athens for other people and their art. The aim is for the people participating in this residency to be artists from different disciplines and cultural backgrounds as an opportunity to connect and learn from each other.

“Our aim is to ensure that the selected artists feel supported both before and during their stay. We hope to guide them in a way that takes any unnecessary burden off, so their only focus is their artistic practice. Having done the necessary prior preparation to ensure “our home is ready to feel like home” for every resident (such as collecting documents, dietary requirements, accessibility needs), the support that our hosting offers will be in everyday needs, such as breakfasts in the house and transportation by car to the closest metro station each morning and afternoon. What we find most important though, is that our residents feel safe and mentally/creatively supported during their stay”. – Nicole and Sophia

SCHEDULE

Each artist is given a 4-hour studio slot each day, to experiment and create. This is part of their individual creation process. Choreographers, fine artists, writers, photographers, all spend the daytime in their assigned studio space creating. Throughout the evenings of the week, there are several team-building activities, in order to cultivate interaction amongst artists which is considered essential for this residency. From BBQs in the house garden, to group yoga sessions at the beach near the house, all 10 residents, both the ones who live in Chicos’ home and the ones that live in their own homes get the chance to exchange ideas, experiences and views, after the deep creative work sessions. This way, various tools are offered, building a balance between inputs of inspiration and outputs of creation. 

The residency events conclude with an open public show case, where residents are asked to share parts of their works in progress.

“Sustainability will be in the daily rhythm of our residency. The transportation used will all be green travel. The residents will be moving around the city with coordinated group transit, with an EV or a metro. We will include a farm-to-table breakfast every morning for the 4 residents who stay in our home. This intends to eliminate food miles and plastic waste, by sourcing 100% of the breakfast provisions from local producers, while also providing the guests with the benefits of the Mediterranean experience.  Moreover, our tap water is filtered so all residents are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles, once again eliminating plastic waste and respecting water scarcity. Finally, we will include a beach cleanup to one of our evening events, pairing it with the sunset yoga activity. Making this more than a beach cleanup, we will encourage the artists to integrate this into their work. Using any materials found to be included into the studio work, as a dialogue with the environment”. – Nicole and Sophia

The 4 residents from abroad are provided with a place to stay, breakfast each day and transportation to the nearest metro station for easy access to any corner of the city. All 10 residents are offered a studio or working areas to work. Additionally, choreographers can choose up to 2 dancers from a pool of professional dancers to work with if desired and fine artists are provided with a small budget (up to 50 euros each) to support the necessary material. Writers and photographers, besides working areas in and out of the house, are receiving a thorough list of hidden (or not) spots in Athens that can be of inspiration.

Chicos’ place is a house in Glyfada, a southern suburb of Athens. It includes a single bed for each resident, two bathrooms (two toilettes and two showers), a kitchen, living room, as well as a big garden for the artists to hang out and relax in. The house is a 20-minute walk from the beach and a 5-minute walk from the town center (Glyfada). The workspaces are 30-40 minutes away with public transport, at the centre of Athens, giving the residents a chance to fully explore the city, or at the south suburbs of Athens offering more relaxed atmosphere away from the city.

Photos of Chicos’ house:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GzVpdeihl3ydt2ofaAPbYXjbnvmExyj2

Clarifications/questions: homeresidency2026@gmail.com