Apollo ARP (Artist Residency Programme) in Kardamili is a non-profit artist residency programme, dedicated to supporting contemporary artistic research and production within the geographically, historically and culturally specific context of Mani, Greece.
The name of the programme, draws inspiration from Apollo, the ancient Greek god of art, music, poetry and knowledge. Apollo symbolises the pursuit of harmony, creativity, intellectual enlightenment and values, that resonate deeply with the mission of the residency.
The programme unfolds from late September, when the Mani peninsula enters a quieter and more introspective temporal register, until early May. This seasonal framework prioritises concentration, reflection and long-term engagement with place, offering artists a sustained period for research-based practice.
Apollo ARP is grounded in the premise that Mani constitutes a rich and layered field of inquiry. Its stark landscapes, historical strata, vernacular architecture, local craft traditions and place-specific material abundance, form a complex conceptual archive. Artists are invited to engage with the territory not merely as scenery, but as a site of knowledge, memory and material specificity.
In addition to providing a physical setting, the programme facilitates guided access to Mani as a research terrain. Drawing on long-term local presence and networks, Apollo ARP mediates encounters with historical archives, local practices, artisans and custodians of place-based knowledge. This mediation supports situated research methodologies, enabling artists to critically engage with Mani’s social, ecological and material conditions, rather than approaching the region as a touristic or purely aesthetic backdrop.
Residencies are hosted across two distinct yet complementary sites. NoTos HoTel, situated within a green and quiet environment and Lela’s Taverna, positioned directly on the seafront. These contrasting spatial conditions, are conceived as part of the residency’s curatorial framework, offering differing sensory and conceptual registers for artistic production.
Apollo ARP operates in collaboration with external galleries, curators and independent artists seeking a shift in context and perspective.
Mani offers a terrain of austerity and beauty that enables contextual displacement and invites reflection, experimentation and renewal.
