Descoverartists: A love affair with Hydra

As Summer comes to an end and London skies begin turning from a vivid, unstained blue back to their usual irritable hues, I decided to follow the sun and head back to a special place: Hydra, an idyllic island located to the south of Athens, the perfect reset  before the winter blues set in, and the home of Descoverartists, an artist residency (of which I myself am an alumni) that is proudly celebrating its fifth anniversary.

Three years ago I sat in the passenger seat of my mom’s car, driving back to Beirut after a Summer-long stay in Faraya, Lebanon with racing thoughts of how horrible the prospects of finding a job back in London would be. Looking for an escape from my daunting reality, I started looking into art residencies, eventually stumbling onto Descoverartists. Two weeks later I found myself on Hydra, an island where cars never got to drive, endless steep stairways, taverns serving incredible zucchini balls and the clearest, most stunning waters.

I was familiar with the idea that Hydra was an artistic hub and magnet for various international artists, and was naturally excited to experience it for myself, but never would I have imagined that a place I had previously never travelled to could possibly offer me, after such a short amount of time, the unmistakable sense of belonging.

With a curious mind and zero expectations, we spent our time navigating workshops from Emotional Archeology with Serafi founder, Jobi Manson, where we learnt how much history can be stored in the tiniest of stones, a clay making workshop with Martha Panagiotopoulou, whose practice has recently shifted towards sculptures made from glass and water, to a workshop with Lambros Papanikolatos on how to find our audiences in the industry— each session eye opening, unique and leaving much to ponder.

I left the island that year thinking about those sessions, the people I had met there and the hedonist way of life. The feeling was different to what I had expected of the bohemian movement I had read about during my research. Instead I knew I would find myself once more on the shores of Hydra.

A sense of déjà-vu washed over me as I opened the email inviting me to Descoverartists’ 2024 reunion. I had spent my August back in Faraya, this time on a slightly more sombre note, as the tensions in my homeland were rising and we were all living under the weight of uncertainty, hoping for better days. As difficult as it was for me to leave and also leave a part of my heart in Lebanon, the timing of the trip couldn’t have been better. An escape to my second favourite corner of the world was exactly what I needed before diving into A Rabbit’s Foot’s next print issue.

With an open house as their main event, Descoverartists opened their residency doors once again, where current residents showcased the process of their most recent projects. After a long day of endless dips in the sea, we all headed to the Descover house to celebrate Christina Zompa Kaloglou, the founder of the residency, and Descoverartists’ fifth anniversary.

One of my highlights was the work of a past resident, Silvia Giovanardi, who exhibited her first short feature ΑΓΑΠΗ. With a background in Art Therapy, Silvia researched the meaning of love by documenting people all over the globe. Starting in Hydra last year and ending her journey in Rio de Janeiro, she approached questioning their beliefs on love, capturing their raw, heartfelt responses paired with powerful, authentic visuals. I was similarly struck by the work of Enam Granot, a current resident who has been spending his time at L’Americano (a new bar that opened on the island) using only paper tissues as a canvas to illustrate each encounter he’d have there. The night was followed by a beautiful performance by Auto nite Superstore, an electronic music producer and DJ based in Athens whose sound is a maximal blend of contemporary experimental music. He played his set under the stars surrounded by candle light.

Waking up on the island feels worlds apart from a typical London morning, I head out to Spilia, a beach club on the island to soak up the sun for a few hours before making my way to the DESTE’s project space where an exhibition from George Condo is being held, featuring a number of small-scale paintings and sculptures selected from the artist’s long standing career. The DESTE’s project space was formerly a Slaughterhouse on the island that later got converted to an exhibition space where Jeff Koons exhibited his first solo exhibition in Greece after 20 years. He planted a gigantic sun, now iconic, on top of the house which has resided to this day as the unofficial mascot of the island.

Walking back from the slaughterhouse, passing by the Hydra book club, located on top of the historical Archives Museum of Hydra, is a must. The Hydra book club holds an incredible curation of books ranging from original copies of Laurence Durrell’s Citrons Acides to the Descoverartistsrecipe book that was launched earlier this year, with a series of recipes from past residents and friends of the house. As I sit at The Pirate Bar, Christina’s favourite bar on the island, where later that night she hosted the annual reunion party, she talks about the reason she started the residency, the importance of community, and her love affair with Hydra.

A conversation with Descoverartists founder, Christina Zompa Kaloglou

Adrianna Aoun: What inspired you to create the residency in the first place?

Christina Zompa Kaloglou: The residency was born from a desire to create a space where artists could find inspiration and connection in a relaxed open and most importantly unstructured environment. I wanted to foster a sense of community among artists and provide them with the time and resources to focus on their craft without the distractions of everyday life. Hydra with its unique beauty and exciting atmosphere seemed like the perfect place to begin.

AA: You’ve been running the residency for five years now, holding three sessions each summer. From my experience one of the highlights is the dinner at the Descover house—where you cook your famous spinach and rice dish, and all the residents gather around the table on the rooftop terrace. I’ve seen pictures of you with various groups of residents—how do you perceive the community that forms around these dinners?

CZK: These dinners are one of my favourite parts of the residency. They allow us to come together not just as artists but as people sharing experiences, thoughts and stories. There’s something special about gathering around food, especially on that rooftop with the sea in view. The sense of intimacy and collaboration grows naturally in those moments and I think that’s what builds the strong bonds in our community. Everyone feels seen, heard and appreciated—not just for their art but as individuals.

AA: You initially started the residency in Hydra and later expanded to Thessaloniki, your hometown. How do you compare the experiences and atmospheres of these two residencies?

CZK: Hydra and Thessaloniki offer very different experiences. Hydra is serene, almost timeless in its isolation from the hustle and bustle of city life. It’s a place to reflect, dream and work in solitude. Thessaloniki on the other hand is vibrant and full of energy with its deep-rooted history and dynamic contemporary art scene. The community in Thessaloniki brings a different flavor, more urban and collaborative. In both places, though, the spirit of the residency remains: it’s about connection creation and growth.

AA: What’s next for Descoverartists? 

CZK: We’re always looking for ways to evolve. One exciting idea is to introduce more collaborative projects between residents across our different locations. We’re also considering expanding into other regions to introduce new landscapes and cultural influences into the residency experience. Our aim is to keep building a global community that fosters creativity and artistic exchange.

AA: What does community mean to you? What would you say is your duty as an artist?

CZK: Community to me is about support, connection and shared growth. It’s not just about being in the same space, it’s about helping each other thrive and challenging each other to grow. As an organiser my duty is to create spaces where those connections can flourish to challenge norms and to inspire others to do the same. We have a responsibility to contribute to society in meaningful ways and fostering community is a big part of that.

AA: Define your relationship with Hydra in a sentence. 

CZK: I’d like to share a quote by Margarita Karapanou that, when I first read it [in her book The Sleepwalker], made me feel as though someone else finally saw Hydra the way I do.“Oh, island, I adore you, but I hate you, too! You’re a prison smothered in flowers, I’ve never been more eager to leave a place behind. I can’t stand this enchantment anymore, I can’t stand being bewitched like this- when I look at you, my gaze turns to nothing but a mirror of light, I’ll stare at you hypnotised for ages, and when I stop I’ll feel you, and when I stop feeling you I’ll die. I have such a craving for ugliness and filth, for cities, streets, cars, I want to wake up in the morning and wait at a red light to cross the street.”

AA: Can you tell us about your love affair with Hydra. How has the island changed and stayed the same?

My connection with Hydra began the first time I set foot on the island. I remember being struck by its quiet beauty—no cars, just the sound of the sea and the slow rhythm of life. It felt like stepping back in time to a place where you could truly disconnect from the world and connect with yourself. Over the years Hydra has certainly evolved, it’s become more popular and you see more visitors discovering its charm. But at its core the island has remained the same. Its natural beauty, the simplicity of its lifestyle and the creative energy it seems to draw from people—it’s still a place of deep inspiration for me and I think for many others as well. Hydra has a way of holding onto its authenticity despite the changes and that’s why we keep returning.

The last day always comes with an abundance of conflicting emotions. I wake up stressed, the landlord of the airbnb asking us to leave. Not having enough time to brush my teeth, I head down to the port and pack my toiletries in the toilet of The Pirate Bar. I walk to Hydronetta for my last swim of the summer before catching the 4PM ferry to Athens and my flight back to London, all the while secretly hoping that for some inexplicable reason I might be forced to miss my flight. For a brief moment I think my prayers have been answered, hearing whispers of a taxi strike in Athens—was this my subconscious trying to sabotage me, or perhaps the island itself was in some cosmic way conspiring to keep me there?

Alas, I make it to the airport just in time, the reality of my unfilled timesheet waiting for me on the other side of a depressing four hour flight back to London. Still, I find solace in even the memory of Hydra, which remains my dream-like place, somewhere I can embrace with an open mind and heart, knowing it will embrace me in return. You never know who you could meet, where you’ll end up each night, on the rocks of Spilia sleeping under the stars after a midnight swim or at the bakery at 5AM while watching the sunrise.