MATCH EU

Mediterranean as the Climate Hotspot

Artistic Research Residency at K2 Urla Breathing Zone

Urla / İzmir, Türkiye

9 May — 5 June 2026

In May and June 2026, Joana Amora participated in a one-month artistic research residency at K2 Urla Breathing Zone (K2UBZ) in Urla, İzmir, as part of MATCH - Mediterranean as the Climate Hotspot, a transnational Creative Europe project co-funded by the European Union.

Hosted by K2 Contemporary Art Center, the residency brought together Joana Amora and artist Maya Aghniadis (Flugen) for a period of artistic research, fieldwork and exchange in close relationship with the ecological and cultural context of the İzmir region.

Research

During the residency, Joana developed Gıda Toplulukları / Food Communities, an ongoing artistic research project investigating ecological food systems, agricultural landscapes, biodiversity and the relationships between the people who produce, distribute and consume food in the İzmir region.

The research developed through visits to local farmers and producers, ecological markets and bazaars, food communities and agroecological initiatives, as well as walks and field observations in the forests surrounding K2. Through conversations, interviews, photography, film, drone documentation, drawings, field notes and the collection of natural materials, the project traces connections between agricultural practices, local knowledge, food circulation, community life and the landscapes they produce.

Alongside this research, Joana developed an inventory of approximately 30 edible, medicinal and spontaneous plant species observed around K2, exploring the biodiversity already present within the landscape and its relationship to local ecological knowledge.

The residency became a continuation of Joana’s long-term engagement with agroecology, which has been present in her artistic practice since 2017. Rather than beginning from a predetermined artistic outcome, the research was allowed to develop through encounters with people, plants, agricultural practices and landscapes, with the resulting materials gradually informing a body of photographic, audiovisual, sculptural and digital works.

The research and works developed during the residency will be presented in an exhibition at Galeri A, İzmir, from 7–28 November 2026.

About MATCH

MATCH - Mediterranean as the Climate Hotspot is a transnational arts initiative exploring the relationships between climate change, culture and artistic practice across the Mediterranean.

The project connects artists, cultural organisations and community-based ecological initiatives across Athens, Nicosia, Marseille, Barcelona and İzmir, supporting the development and presentation of new artistic work through international residencies, exhibitions, research and a shared capacity-building programme.

MATCH approaches the Mediterranean as a climate hotspot in which environmental transformation is inseparable from social, political and cultural conditions. Through artistic practice, community engagement and regenerative approaches, the programme investigates how local knowledge and collective forms of action can contribute to climate adaptation and more sustainable ways of living.

Project & Credits

Project: MATCH - Mediterranean as the Climate Hotspot

Residency: K2 Urla Breathing Zone, Urla / İzmir, Türkiye

Residency dates: 9 May — 5 June 2026

Artist: Joana Amora

Fellow resident artist: Maya Aghniadis / Flugen

Residency producer and host: K2 Contemporary Art Center

Project partners:

Mapa das Ideias - Project Coordinator

D6:EU

National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)

https://www.bjcem.org/