ENVIRONMENT
Do Picho is beautifully located just outside Palas de Rei in central Galicia, surrounded by fields, farms and forests, a 25-minute walk through the woods or a 2-minute drive to the village.
Far from being fashionable and cool, Palas itself and Galicia more broadly attracted Do Picho’s founder exactly because they were a bit out of the way, eminently more affordable, beautiful in a more rugged way, with a thriving but often hidden cultural scene, steeped in tradition while keen to innovate, and full of wonderful people. In short, this is a great environment for an artist residence.
THE RESIDENCE
Artist residence Do Picho is part of Finca Do Picho which was rebuilt in the 2000s by renowned Galician architect Pedro de Llano. It includes the residence, a large garden, the house in which Do Picho’s founder and president lives, and two separate, smaller living units. These units each contain a bedroom and a bathroom and are most often used as accommodation for the volunteers and interns that are an important part of the Do Picho team, but are sometimes rented out to pilgrims or others who seek accommodation in Palas de Rei.
The residence itself offers a serene and spacious environment with exceptional natural light. It consists of three bedrooms (one of which can easily be converted into an additional atelier space), a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom, and a large common space ideal for art projects of all kinds.
It offers a lot of space and light and tranquility for artists who want to come on their own. At the same time, there is enough space for those who want to come with a loved one or even their family, or for two or three artists who want to submit a collaborative project and work together in a common space. With ample room to work, relax, and enjoy, the residency provides a great setting for artistic exploration and collaboration.
PALAS DE REI
Palas de Rei is a small town of about 3,350 people, located on the most popular route of the Camino de Santiago, the Camino Frances, in the Province of Lugo and only a 4-day walk from Santiago. From late March to the end of October it welcomes visitors from all over the world who stop here en route to Santiago, while in the remaining months it is a much quieter village, nevertheless providing all services and benefiting from its vicinity to Lugo, Santiago de Compostela (with its airport at only a 45-minute drive from Finca do Picho), and some of the most beautiful beaches on the Galician coast.
ENVIRONMENT IN DANGER
Palas de Rei is surrounded by beautiful landscapes and numerous places of interest such as the Mácara Torrents, Pambre Castle, and the church of Vilar de Donas.
However, this town and central Galicia as a whole have been threatened in recent years by the proposed construction of a mega-pulp mill by the Portuguese multinational Altri, right on the border between Palas and the neighboring municipality of Melide. The project, which would occupy more than 360 hectares of land, aimed to draw 46 million liters of water per day from the Ulla River and emit 8,754 kg of polluting gases daily; an impact that, in addition to the environmental and health damage, would be incompatible with numerous organic production initiatives linked to the primary sector, fundamental to the entire region. The opposition from local residents, environmental organizations, and other social actors has generated an unprecedented mobilization in the recent history of Galicia. All of this has meant that the Altri threat no longer seems imminent, and good news continues to emerge, pending the final dismissal of the case.
However, we must remain vigilant for a possible reactivation of the project in the future, especially as other threats (such as biomethane plants or the Touro mine) continue to move forward.
For this reason, Do Picho remains committed to environmental protection, viewing art and artistic expression as a potentially vital part of a much broader struggle for life, the environment, and human rights.