The BONFIRE Nomadic Retreats are born from a desire to share our gaze and our deep connection to specific territories around the world. Landscapes, cultures, and energies that have transformed our lives and our artistic practice, and that we now wish to experience with you.
Each edition is curated with attention and unfolds in a carefully chosen location, inviting a small group of creators into a slow, generous, and respectful way of relating to both the human and the more-than-human.
Our retreats move you toward the local, the subtle, and the layers of truth that exist beyond global narratives. They open a space to encounter what is often overlooked, to listen differently, and to engage with place in a more conscious and embodied way.
KYOTO
New Year Retreat → January 20 – 29, 2027
An encounter with the heart of Japan that will seep into every layer of your being.
Set between mountains and crossed by the Kamo River, Kyoto is a city where time folds differently.
Traditional houses, incense drifting through the air, the sound of water, the presence of crows, eagles and cranes. There is something in its atmosphere that invites another state of being, one that pulls us back year after year.
Through this retreat, we wish to share Kyoto the way we know it. Not as tourists but as inhabitants. Through our friendships, our collaborations and the places that have become part of our lives.
The time has come to slide open the doors and welcome you in.
Let Japan guide you.
A ten day experience curated and hosted by artist duo LEMOS + LEHMANN:
THE WAY OF
→ An invitation into the ancient culture of ritualized doing.
ARCHITECTURE OF THE SACRED
→ Within the city of ten thousand shrines we will take you to our favorite holy places.
CRAFTMANSHIP
→ Visits to venues where tradition is kept alive.
ARTS & CULTURE
→ Time dedicated to galleries and museums.
NATURAL IMMERSION
→ From Kamo River to mountain temples, entering nature beyond the borders of the city.
CULINARY EXPERIENCES
→ A taste of local and seasonal gastronomy.
PAUSE & SELF-CARE
→ Experience onsen, the ancient practice of communal bathing in hot spring waters.
LOCAL COLLABORATORS
→ Discover Kyoto through our network.
COMMUNITY LIFE
→ Living together through shared walks, meals, conversations and everyday rhythms
We are Pat Lemos and Lukas Lehmann, visual artists and founders of BONFIRE, working together internationally as the artist duo LEMOS + LEHMANN.
Our practice moves between culture, ecology, and spirituality, continually shaped by the two islands we call home: Iceland and Japan.
For more than fifteen years, we have been creating spaces where artists can pause, reconnect, and expand their vision.
We don’t separate our artistic practice from the way we accompany others. Both are rooted in the same values: love, curiosity, enthusiasm, presence, and meaningful encounters.
This is a program designed by us for you.
Every detail is crafted with care, beginning with the very first visions and intentions that shape the journey. From the places we choose and the people we invite, to the atmosphere we cultivate, we curate the conditions for the magic to happen.
We welcome artists, thinkers, and professionals whose work is rooted in curiosity, perception, and a desire to engage more deeply with the world.
Whether your practice moves through visual arts, sound, performance, writing, filmmaking, spatial thinking, culinary practices, or other forms of creation and research, we invite you to apply.
No specific project is required. No outcomes are expected.
Come as you are. Everything else begins here.
When → January 20 to 29, 2027
Where → Japan, Kyoto Area
Limited to 10 participants
3,100 € full package
Paid by the participant
Applications for the 2027 edition are now closed.
Explore our program by clicking the button below, and get in touch if you want to receive updates about the 2027 edition▼