The programme is intended for professional artists of any media. Interdisciplinary work is particularly welcome. Applications are only permitted as a group of at least two and a maximum of three people. The competition is open to artists based in Europe. Students still enrolled at universities and colleges at the time of residency cannot apply. At least one group member should hold a valid driving license and be willing to drive.

Services provided

• On-site accommodation and a space in which to work.

• Monthly bursary of 2,500 EUR per person.

• Travel costs for the journey to and from Glenkeen Garden.

Applicationn deadline: April 30th. 

• Filled up application form: Name and details of contact person, address, and place of residence. names of all participants and basic information. Driver license (attach copy). Possible timeframes Aug-Oct 2026, March-Mai 2027, Aug-Oct 2027. Min. 2 Monaten. 

• Current CVs of all participants listing education, significant exhibitions, awards, grants, residencies and publications (Max 1 page per person)

• Cover letter/Project proposal: Max 1 page written + 1 page illustrations, when needed

• Combined Portfolio of work samples from all participants, made individually or as a group (Max 10 pages). Videos and sound files should be added via hyperlinks and have a maximum duration of 3 minutes (links to full-length works may be provided additionally).

• The application and all additional documents must be submitted in English.

All the above documents should be compiled into a single PDF (10 mb max) named after the contact person and sent to residency@crespo-foundation.de.

Incomplete applications or those which exceed the above-mentioned length limits will not be considered.

In an era marked by disjointed acceleration and divisive politics, the residencies at Glenkeen Garden ask to consider art and artmaking as acts of gathering. Rooted in the foundation’s socio-cultural ethos, shaped by the multispecies collaboration that defines Glenkeen Garden and inspired by the buzzing creative vibrancy of West Cork, with its countercultural legacy, Cultivating Commons focuses on practices of togetherness and the intricate networks of reciprocal relations. Through material investigations or conceptual exploration, in intimate collaborations or by the blending of disciplines, aesthetics, and languages, residents are invited to use their time at Glenkeen to reinvent and reimagine ways of communing — with nature, with art, and with one another.

Glenkeen Garden is a large estate spanning 10 hectares located in Roaringwater Bay in West Cork, Ireland’s south coast. The garden was created by Ulrike Crespo, the founder of the Crespo Foundation, and her partner Michael Satke over a period of 20 years. The garden is an inspiration for creativity and was also a significant source of influence for Ulrike Crespo’s photographic experiments and series. It features sculptures by several artists, such as Peter Kogler, Gunter Damisch, David Nash, and Laura Ford, amongst others. Piet Oudolf, who designed New York’s High Line, designed the central grass meadow.