PRESPA ENCOUNTERS

Monday, 30 June to Sunday, 6 July 2025, Prespa, Greece

International Prespa Walking Arts Encounters 2025 (WAC 25)

Walking Home / Walking in Transition

The International Prespa Walking Arts Encounters 2025 (WAC 25) is titled Walking Home / Walking in Transition. Artists, writers and other creative practitioners, critics, and researchers will gather in Prespa, Greece from Monday, June 30 to Sunday, July 6 in a unique exchange of ideas and practices based on walking arts.

The International Prespa Walking Arts Encounters (WAC 25) will feature 130 artists presenting 64 walkshops and 36 papers. Originating from 21 countries across 4 continents (Europe, America, Asia, Oceania), they represent 26 universities and organisations worldwide. Participants will join from the following countries and regions: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.

The partners of WALC are Visual March to Prespes, University of Western Macedonia (Leader, Πανεπιστήμιο Δυτικής Μακεδονίας, UOWM, Greece), walk · listen · create (WLC, Belgium), WalkLab2.PT at the University of Minho (UMINHO, Universidade do Minho, Portugal), Contemporary Art Center Nau Côclea (Centre de Creació Contemporània Nau Côclea, Catalonia, Spain), Association Temps Réel (Gigacircus, France), Action Synergy SA (AS, Greece). The Co-ordinators of the WALC project are Geert Vermeire (WLC) and Yannis Ziogas (UOWM).

The History of Prespa Encounters

The International Encounters in Prespa were previously held in 2019, 2021 and 2023, attracting a large audience that shaped a new way to perceive Walking Practices and Walking Art. More than 400 participants attended the Encounters so far, 128 walkshops were realized, and 65 papers have been presented. Equally important, a strong bond with the local Community was established, shaping a unique socially oriented project. The documentation of the events is published in 5 volumes. 

Prespa Encounters is a culmination of Visual March to Prespa, an artistic activity that has taken place in the area since 2006 and was initiated by the 1st Painting Walkshop of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Western Macedonia. It in 2019 with Made of Walking, organized by the Milena principle, a yearly international and nomadic encounter of walking artists that took place in Greece, Cyprus, France, Portugal and Spain.