ABOUT

Montag Residency is an independent, artist-led and socially engaged arts organisation based in the rural district of Gönen, Balıkesir, Türkiye. Established in 2023, it creates space for artistic research, collaborative production and long-term exchange between artists, local communities, researchers and cultural practitioners.

Located in the village of Ekşidere, Montag believes that meaningful artistic practice grows through long-term engagement with place. Rather than treating the residency as a temporary destination, we see it as a living environment where relationships, shared experiences and collective learning shape artistic processes over time.

Our programme supports artists working across disciplines who are interested in community-based practices, participatory research, ecology, cultural heritage and socially engaged art. We encourage projects that emerge through dialogue with local contexts and develop through collaboration rather than observation.

At the heart of Montag is the belief that local knowledge is an active contributor to contemporary artistic practice. We work alongside craftspeople, local residents, farmers, researchers, students and cultural organisations, creating opportunities for reciprocal learning and co-creation. Traditional knowledge, oral histories and everyday practices are approached as living cultural heritage—continuously evolving through artistic research and shared experiences.

Alongside residency programmes, Montag develops workshops, public events, exhibitions, publications and long-term research projects that strengthen connections between culture, ecology and community. Through these activities, we aim to contribute to rural cultural life while creating opportunities for international dialogue and exchange.

Montag functions as a cultural platform where artistic experimentation, social engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration intersect. We see artists not only as creators, but also as facilitators, listeners and collaborators who can contribute to collective imagination and new ways of understanding the places we share.

As an independent organisation, we build partnerships with cultural institutions, universities, municipalities, civil society organisations and international networks that share our commitment to socially engaged and place-based artistic practice.

We believe that culture is created together. By nurturing long-term relationships, supporting artistic freedom and valuing diverse forms of knowledge, Montag Residency seeks to create conditions where art can strengthen connections between people, place and the environment.

Our Principles

• We are artist-led, independent and non-profit.
• We develop place-based practices rooted in local communities.
• We prioritise long-term relationships over short-term interventions.
• We foster dialogue, mutual learning and co-creation.
• We embrace living cultural heritage as an integral part of contemporary artistic practice.
• We are committed to ecological and social responsibility.
• We support knowledge sharing and accessibility.
• We cultivate intercultural dialogue and international collaboration.
• We value care, reciprocity and solidarity.
• We see artistic research as a catalyst for social and cultural transformation.