Fundación Casa Wabi and ArtReview are pleased to announce the eighth iteration of our open-call residency prize for three artists interested in cultural cross-fertilization and wishing to enter into a creative dialogue with members of one of the communities around Casa Wabi in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca (México).
Fundación Casa Wabi is a non-profit organization established in 2014 with the aim of promoting social development and international cultural exchange through the arts. The name Casa Wabi originates in wabi sabi, the Japanese aesthetic world view that seeks wisdom and beauty in simplicity, imperfection, and the transience of nature. Our residency, exhibition, and other programs seek to create social connections with reciprocal, mutually beneficial cultural cross-pollination as their goal.
Casa Wabi is located on the Pacific coast 30 minutes north of Puerto Escondido airport. Situated right on the beach, the main facility was designed by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando at the invitation of founder, Mexican artist Bosco Sodi. Facilities include an open-air, multipurpose palapa, six independent bungalows, six open ,and two closed, studios, and various other work areas that collectively create the ideal setting in which to recharge one’s energy amongst other artists.
In the decade since it opened, the Foundation has continued to make notable architectural and artistic additions to the 65-acre garden by Mexican architect Alberto Kalach, including a Clay Pavilion designed by Alvaro Siza (2017), a Chicken Coop by Kengo Kuma (2018), an Orchid Pavilion by Bernardo Quinzaños Oria of Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica (2023) and Waterfall (2021) by Ugo Rondinone and Sentinel (2022) by Huma Bhabha.
For more information about the residency program, including a selection of successful community projects, please visit the completely revised and updated residency section of our website.
Who can apply?
Applications are welcome from all artists, irrespective of background, age, nationality, or stage of career. A maximum of two artists can apply together if they work collaboratively.
When will the residency be?
2026, the specific session to be mutually agreed with the winners.
Are there any specific requirements for the residency?
Every resident is required to engage in a community project. Please visit our website for a comprehensive overview of how these work.
We have no specific productivity requirements, but all residents are asked to gift something to the Foundation that reflects their time at Casa Wabi at the end of their residency, in a format of their choosing.
What is the application schedule?
What form should my application take?
Your application should be sent in one PDF file (of under 25MB in size), and should include the following:
- A brief proposal, in English or Spanish, for a reciprocal project to be completed in a community surrounding Casa Wabi
- Up to 5 images that summarise your artistic practice
- Your CV (maximum 2 pages)
- Any note you would like to include about your preferred timing.
*Applications sent in a different format or in multiple files will not be considered.
How will the winners be chosen?
Applicants will be evaluated on the overall quality of their work, their resonance with Casa Wabi’s ethos, and the potential of their proposed community project proposal.
What does the residency prize include?
- Local flight from Mexico City to Puerto Escondido. (Artists are responsible for their international airfare or other transportation to Mexico City.)
- A comfortable private bungalow with a bathroom, studio space, and three meals per day.
- Support for the resident’s approved community project.
Where should my application be submitted?
Apply here.
Past Winners
First edition (2017): Marita Fraser (Australia), Dexter Dalwood (U.K.)
Second edition (2019): Cooking Sections (Alon Schwabe, U.K. and Daniel Fernández Pascual, Spain), Michael Mieskes (Germany) and Marco Miehling (Germany), Luján Candria (Argentina), Carlos Irijalba (Spain), Laura Gorsky (Brazil) and Renata Cruz (Brazil), Aldo Álvarez Tostado (Mexico)
Third edition (2020): Mónica Naranjo Uribe (Germany)
Fourth edition (2021–22): Félix Blume (France), Rachel Garrard (U.K.), Eduardo Loaeza (Mexico)
Fifth edition (2022–23): Dolores Furtado (Argentina), Melania Toma (Italy)
Sixth edition (2023–24): Rafael Munarriz (Argentina), Nathalie Ventura (Brazil), Carles Tarrassó (Spain)
Seventh edition (2024–25): Saba Khan (Pakistan), Daniel Melo Morales (United States), Tomas Kleiner (Sweden)
