Organizer Information

SOBREMESA – Vagaries of the Palate is a transnational European cooperation project co-funded by the European Union that explores the relationship between food, migration, identity, culture, and nation-state narratives. The project brings together cultural organizations, residency programs, researchers, curators, artists, and practitioners across Southern Europe to investigate how food functions as a political, social, and cultural medium.

Operating across Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Italy, SOBREMESA challenges conventional ideas of cultural purity and gastronationalism by examining food cultures shaped by migration, trade, displacement, and historical exchange. Through research-driven artistic residencies, public programs, collaborative methodologies, and community engagement, the initiative seeks to uncover hidden histories, diasporic food traditions, and alternative narratives often excluded from official cultural heritage frameworks.

The 2026 residency cycle connects three independent residency hosts in Lisbon (Portugal), Donostia/San Sebastián (Spain), and Epanomi near Thessaloniki (Greece), creating a shared platform for artistic research and experimentation centered around food as a lens for understanding contemporary Europe.

Title & Description

SOBREMESA – Vagaries of the Palate: International Residency Programme 2026

SOBREMESA invites artists, researchers, cultural practitioners, technologists, curators, writers, chefs, filmmakers, designers, and interdisciplinary creators to apply for one of three fully research-oriented international residencies taking place between October and December 2026.

The program investigates a central question:

How do nation-state identities shape food cultures, and how can food-related practices become tools for understanding transnationalism in 21st-century Europe?

Rather than treating food as merely a culinary subject, the residency framework considers food as a critical medium through which migration, technology, care, labor, memory, social organization, and cultural exchange can be examined.

Participants will engage in practice-led research, contextual inquiry, experimentation, collaboration, and public engagement while working within distinct local contexts:

Hangar Residency (Lisbon, Portugal) – focusing on postcolonial archives and diasporic food cultures.
Food Hack Lab Residency (San Sebastián, Spain) – focusing on open culture, technology, and experimentation.
Echoes Residency (Epanomi, Greece) – focusing on care infrastructures, solidarity networks, and community-based practices.

While each residency has a specific local focus, all selected participants become part of a wider transnational network contributing to a collective European research initiative.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

Geographic Eligibility

Applicants must be residents of countries participating in the Creative Europe (CREA) Programme.

Eligible non-EU participating countries include:

Iceland
Norway
Liechtenstein
Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Georgia
Kosovo
Montenegro
North Macedonia
Serbia
Ukraine
Moldova
Armenia
Tunisia

Important: According to the 2026 Creative Europe eligibility list, Türkiye is no longer an eligible participating country.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

Be legally able to travel and reside in the host country during the residency period.
Be available for the entire residency duration.
Have sufficient English-language proficiency to participate in discussions and collaborative activities.
Submit all required materials before the deadline.
Demonstrate a clear connection between their practice and the themes of the project.
Show the ability to engage with local communities, contexts, and collaborative processes.
Present a feasible and well-developed proposal.

The call is open to artists and practitioners at various career stages.

Program Benefits & Awards

Hangar Residency (Portugal)

Flights covered
Accommodation covered
Shared kitchen provided
Research consumables covered
Artist Fee: €600
Production Budget: €1,200
Public presentations and talks

Food Hack Lab Residency (Spain)

Residency Grant: €1,700
Accommodation covered
Travel Costs covered
Subsistence Support: €2,600
Production Budget: up to €1,800
Curatorial support

Echoes Residency (Greece)

Accommodation covered
Travel Costs covered
Food/Subsistence covered
Artist Fee: €425/month
Production Budget available
Curatorial support

The residency emphasizes research, experimentation, collaboration, and knowledge production rather than the creation of finalized artworks.

Application Fee

None

Application Requirements

Personal information
Artist or professional biography
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Portfolio or examples of previous work
Project proposal
Description of intended research
Relevant supporting documentation
Contact information

Applications must be completed in English.

How to Apply?

Online Application

Key Dates

Application Deadline: 5 July 2026
Shortlist Notification: 14 July 2026
Interviews: 18–24 July 2026
Final Selection Announcement: 30 July 2026
Hangar Residency (Portugal): 1 October – 30 November 2026
Food Hack Lab Residency (Spain): 10 October – 10 December 2026
Echoes Residency (Greece): 20 October – 20 December 2026

Location

Lisbon, Portugal
Donostia / San Sebastián, Basque Region, Spain
Epanomi near Thessaloniki, Greece

Additional Details

The three residency programs operate independently while remaining connected through a shared research framework. Residents are encouraged to produce situated knowledge through making, cooking, gathering, documenting, researching, coding, storytelling, or other forms of creative inquiry.

Projects should engage critically with themes such as:

Migration and diaspora
Food politics
National identity
Postcolonial histories
Community building
Care and solidarity networks
Cultural exchange
Knowledge production
Technology and food systems
Borders and mobility

Applications will be evaluated by an international committee composed of representatives from SOBREMESA partners, residency hosts, curators, researchers, and external advisors. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interviews before final selections are made.

The program values experimentation, collaboration, contextual engagement, and the creation of meaningful public outcomes that can contribute to wider discussions around food, culture, and transnational identities.

SOBREMESA Residency 2026 Open Call in Europe