The Art Association Polopos is a cultural initiative founded by artist and illustrator Thysa Boon and writer/multimedia creator Wijnand Boon. Based in the village of Polopos, we bring art and culture to life through our artist residency program, exhibitions, music festivals, and our own creative work spanning visual arts, children's books, culinary writing, and digital media.
Like many other villages in Spain in the last half century, Polopos saw its school, shops, bars, and restaurants close down. People moved down to the coast or even further away to the city, which provided opportunities like higher education, better jobs, and entertainment. The small number of inhabitants who still live in the village are aging fast. What Polopos has lost – and what it desperately needs in order to survive as a village and as a community, today and in the future – is purpose.
The association is dedicated to transforming Polopos into a vibrant creative community where artists live and work, visitors and citizens of Polopos enjoy exhibitions, workshops and other cultural events and a growing population can thrive thanks to ensuing economic opportunities.
Having moved here from the center of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Thysa and Wijnand know first hand why Polopos and the Alpujarra region provide the perfect environment to retreat away from your familiar surroundings and obligations. The peace and quiet, the stunning landscape of the mountains, a village where time almost seems to stand still, the spectacular views over the Mediterranean, they allow the artist to disengage and focus on creating, experimenting and growing and offer fresh perspectives and uninterrupted creative time.
The Alpujarra Artist Residency accepts applications from artists working in the following disciplines: painting, visual arts, film/video, music composition, interdisciplinary arts, sculpting and literature. Emerging as well as established artists are invited to apply.
We believe that any artist should have access to the benefits of an artist residency with us. In order to be accessible to the broadest possible community of artists, our association offers financial assistance programs. These programs are intended to help with the costs of the accommodation.