A NEW ARTIST-LED RETREAT PROGRAMME BY BORED PEACH CLUB
WHAT IS
RETREAT TO ART?
Retreat to Art is a programme run by the Bored Peach Club in Gozo. Each edition is shaped by a lead artist who defines the week’s focus, working framework and direction according to their practice.
Participants work in a shared studio environment while engaging directly with the island’s surroundings. Landscape and cultural context become active material within the work as mornings are dedicated to sustained making, afternoons move outward to explore depending on the edition’s emphasis, and evenings allow for conversation, critique and reflection, reinforcing the link between experience and practice.
Across five days, the programme provides structure, proximity and exchange, creating the conditions for work to deepen in response to place.
MEET THE CREW
PAT VELLA : LOGISTICS & OPERATIONS
Pat keeps everything running. She oversees the planning and coordination of each edition, working with local partners and managing accommodation and transfers from start to finish. Her work behind the scenes is what allows the week to unfold smoothly so artists can focus on the experience.
PETE CODLING : LEAD ARTIST, SEPTEMBER 2026
Pete is a multidisciplinary artist hailing from the UK, who has made our Gozo space his beloved second home while developing work in close dialogue with the island's architecture and natural rhythms. For the 2026 edition of Retreat to Art, Pete leads the studio programme, setting the tone for the week and working alongside participants as ideas take shape.
WHY RETREAT TO ART?
Retreat to Art offers a rare chance to make, explore and connect in one of the most distinctive landscapes in the Mediterranean.
Studio sessions are balanced with time out on the island, in village streets, along the coast and through open countryside. What is experienced during the day finds its way back into the work.
The group is small by design. You work closely with the lead artist throughout the week, not just in the studio but over shared meals and conversations. It is part creative residency, part real travel experience, and there is nothing quite like it.
