“Free Radicals” artist residency kicks-off in Stepanavan

We are happy to announce that from August 5 to 20, the “Free Radicals” artist residency will take place in Stepanavan, Armenia, initiated by Today Art Initiative and bringing together six selected international artists. The program unfolds across three bioculturally rich regions: the Courel Mountains in Galicia (in collaboration with Fundación Uxío Novoneyra), the Aveiro district in Portugal (with Centro de Formação Agrícola da Guarda – Quinta das Relvas), and the Lori province in Armenia (with Today Art Initiative).

These artist residencies form a living thread in our collective journey toward developing a shared toolkit—one that invites plants, people, and practices into dialogue.

From poetry to endangered languages, sonic installations to scent, natural dyes to community dining, the participating artists bring a wide range of creative approaches, including writing, weaving, multispecies research, regenerative design, and biocultural restoration.

In the coming months, they will immerse themselves in diverse ecosystems and vernacular knowledge, tracing the interconnectedness of plants, people, and practices. Together, they will explore what it means to be in dialogue with place, through creative processes that are tangible, collective, speculative, and deeply rooted in more-than-human worlds.

The works shaped during the residencies will be presented in the final exhibition in Lisbon in 2026, alongside the public unveiling of the Free Radicals toolkit.

📍In Stepanavan, the project is being realised in collaboration with the Stepan Shahumyan  House Museum. The project is co-funded by the European Union, within the framework of the Creative Europe Programme.

The information and views expressed in this announcement are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them