We aim to provide an atmosphere for inspiration and effective working. The focus is on residencies for (emerging) professional artists. Disciplines include visual art, music, dance, and writing. Occasionally exhibitions, concerts and site-specific performances are organised.

Most activities take place in a rural area of Portugal, in a carefully renovated quinta with eight apartments, two cottages and five artists’ studios. The region is full of culture and history, and the nature is inviting and mysterious. The weather is warm in summer (with cool, starry nights) and mild in winter.

Since 2003, OBRAS hosted around 1000 artists from 65 countries for residencies of 3 to 10 weeks and organised 130 cultural events such as exhibitions, concerts and performances.

OBRAS is a Portuguese word and means “work in progress”. OBRAS-Residencies is the follow up of

Foundation OBRAS, which started in 2002 and will be dissolved in the beginning of 2025. Part of its activities will be continued in OBRAS-residencies. General aim of OBRAS-residencies is providing space, support and hospitality necessary for effective working on art and science.

We look forward hosting you. We hope that you will feel released from ongoing business, family concerns, and consumerism. You may enjoy the full focus on your art work, find paths that lead to unexpected fields, or lead to nowhere but still make sense.

If you are used living in big cities you may experience both the advantages and limitations of the countryside. Advantages are, for instance, that nature starts at your door step. You can take fantastic nature walks and make herbal tea from the plants of our garden. The nights are incredibly silent with a sky full of stardust.

We give you space for working and living, we respect your privacy and personal wishes. To make your residency productive is first of all your responsibility. Generally, there will be at least five residents at the same time. We will give you the opportunity to give an artist’s talk or a presentation in an informal atmosphere. About once per week we will have a shared dinner. Once or twice per year we organise an open studio.

In your application you define a project or goal for your residency and summarize your professional achievements. Within three weeks we let you know whether we can invite you. Criteria for acceptation are artistic quality, professionalism and our estimation whether we can meet your expectations.