Overtouristification: International Capital and Homogenisation (A Multidisciplinary Themed Residency)

In July 2025, Athens hosted about 7 million tourists. For a city of about 3.5 million, that means a lot of extra everything. The land, the people, the resources, and the sites are squeezed by the tourist desire for - what? Escape, experience, exploration, a break from the norm and the grind. The tourist comes and adds pressure to the city, and brings money/ jobs, and homogenizes culture. People in Athens are fighting back, especially in Exarchia. Signs and chants say "Tourists go home!"

Now, a thorny reflection: if you, as an artist, a writer, a creator, a scholar, if you come to visit Athens one July, and you stay for a solid several weeks, and you really immerse in the local scene, what does that make you? Are you also a tourist? Is it also a problem?

In this themed residency, we invite artists & scholars & writers & philosophers & thinkers & movement people & craft makers to come together in Athens, Greece during July, the height of tourist season, to investigate the consequences of tourism and reimagine the search for belonging.

Argo residencies provide time and space to develop your practice in a social, supportive, and stimulating environment with a focus on process, not products.

They are open to artists, writers, performers, musicians, scholars, and any other creative discipline.

All of our residencies take place in Athens, Greece. Every resident has a dedicated workspace in Argo Studios, in the activist neighborhood of Exarcheia, above the weekly outdoor fruit and vegetable market. Accommodation in both shared and private rooms is provided in the Argo "Mansions": a pair of neoclassical apartments overlooking a bustling city square, full of local tavernas and cafes.

Themed residencies provide a more structured, collaborative experience, with shared readings and lectures. Residents have the option to participate in group excursions and a public Open Studios. We provide personalized recommendations; connections with local Athenian artists, curators, and craftspeople; and a warm, welcoming community.