A Collective of Collectives
Funding is getting harder to find, and that raises a real question: what does it take to keep an independent practice alive when the ground underneath cultural work keeps shifting?
These questions came up at the Brussels Artist-run Breakfast for Insatiable Researchers at a.pass earlier this year. What does “artist-run” mean now, and where do artist-run spaces fit into the research ecosystems that already exist?
This isn’t just about money or survival. It’s about what these structures are worth: the room they make for experimentation, research, exchange, for ways of working that might not get supported anywhere else.
When the structures we know are under pressure, maybe it’s time to look outward, toward partners and peers. How are artist-run communities elsewhere handling the same pressures, and what solidarity or collective organizing is emerging from that?
One example: A Collective of Collectives, an artist-run festival happening in Athens this October for the third time. It brings together artist-run initiatives across the city through a festival, connecting independent spaces while letting each keep its own identity and autonomy. No central institution running the show, just a temporary framework for exchange, collaboration, and shared visibility. The BARN Core Team will take part in a special long-distance programme within this year’s edition.
This excerpt from A Collective of Collectives’ website seems particularly relevant, with insights into why ecologies of independent initiatives matter so much in todays landscape, and which values they work towards:
A Collective of Collectives began in 2024, hosting the first edition of the CoC Art Festival.
The first edition brought together 10 artist-run initiatives that aligned their schedules over the course of 1 weekend. The second edition took place in 2025, this time showcasing 18 participating artist-run spaces and an extended 2 week runtime.
In recent years, Athens has witnessed an explosion in its artistic community. Beyond large, profit-oriented institutions and galleries, much of the production and creation by new and emerging artists and communities take place in self-managed, independent spaces. These collective-based initiatives have nurtured a thriving ecosystem that the CoC Art Festival seeks to bring together, strengthening self-funded or semi-funded artist-run projects that constitute the contemporary incubator of Athens’ underground, experimental cultural scene.
Criticizing centralized models of artistic authority, these spaces challenge conventional structures of curation, aiming to produce personal, collective and networked approaches. By shifting the focus from external demands to personal narratives, and positioning artists as both subject and creator, they cultivate a non-hierarchical, fluid structure where individual and cultural histories intersect. The emphasis is on co-producing rather than imposing, reinforcing art as an evolving, participatory process rather than a fixed, authoritative statement.
By creating connections between art spaces across Athens, we seek to promote greater accessibility, visibility and collaboration in the local art community. We aim to empower art spaces, artists and curators to reach a wider audience, share resources and collaborate to enhance the city’s cultural landscape.
Through comprehensive mapping and outreach, we are building a network of self-managed art spaces, fostering partnerships and joint programming that highlight the diverse artistic voices of Athens. At the same time, by making it easier for people to discover, access, and engage with these spaces, we hope to inspire a deeper appreciation of the city’s art scene and provide a platform for creatives to thrive.
This project is more than just a catalogue or an advertising campaign. It is a concentrated effort to strengthen ties within the city.
Read A Collective of Collectives’ full positioning through the link: acollectiveofcollectives.com
When individual initiatives are pushed to compete for the same scraps, collective organizing is a way to imagine something else. If we turn toward our peers, the question stops being just how artist-run spaces survive. It becomes how they might support each other, and what new ecosystems could grow out of that.
Lars-Herman Hegg, August 2026
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