We-Che Art Residency

Overview

Founded and run by the artistic duo Raom & Loba, We-Che Art Residency is an independent, artist-run project located on a two-hectare property in Argentine Patagonia. Situated in the Chubut region near the historic Welsh settlement of Trevelin, the Chilean border, and the Nant y Fall Falls Protected Natural Area, it operates as the southernmost artist residency in Patagonia. Named “We-Che” (meaning “young” in the Mapuche language to symbolize renewal and curiosity), the residency provides a quiet rural retreat facing the Andes Mountains, accommodating small cohorts of 3 to 4 residents simultaneously.

Objectives

The residency aims to offer artists and writers a tranquil, inspiring space away from daily routines to decompress, rejuvenate, and engage deeply with Patagonia as a natural, historical, and cultural ecosystem. Operating with a self-directed and non-production-pressured ethos, We-Che seeks to foster respectful relationships between art and nature, promote conscious artistic practices, and facilitate meaningful, multi-layered cultural exchanges among an international community of creators.

Programs / Opportunities

• General Artist Residency Program (AIR): A self-directed, fee-based residency lasting from 1 week to 2 months, offering private accommodations, small studio spaces, shared facilities, Wi-Fi, utilities, and Esquel Airport pick-up.
• Special Book Project AIR Program: A 1-month partially mentored residency program offering specialized guidance, design consultation, and individual mentorship to support artists and writers developing book-format projects (including handcrafted art books, poetry, novels, literary works, print-ready monographs, and catalogues).

Target Community

• Multidisciplinary Artists & Writers: International emerging and established visual artists, printmakers, photographers, filmmakers, sound artists, sculptors, textile artists, paper/book artists, writers, and researchers across all creative disciplines.