Casa Matuya

Matuya is an artist residency program in initiated by photographer and music researcher Mirjam Wirz in San Jacinto, a vivid village in Colombia’s Caribbean region. San Jacinto, in the Montes de María hills surrounded by dry tropical forest, is known for its rich cultural heritage, traditional weaving, and as a birthplace of gaita and cumbia music, including the famous Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto. Located close to Cartagena and Barranquilla, the village hosts vibrant festivals celebrating music, literature, and oral traditions throughout the year. The residency takes place at Casa Matuya, an ecologically built ensemble of clay with handcrafted roofs, situated on the edge of the village within walking distance of San Jacinto’s main plaza. Surrounded by greenery and open landscapes, the house offers a peaceful environment for concentration, reflection, and artistic exchange. Casa Matuya is inhabited and hosted by Mirjam Wirz, whose long-standing engagement with cumbia culture and wide local and international network can become a valuable resource for residents who wish to engage more deeply with the region, its music, and its communities. The residency welcomes visual artists, musicians, performers, writers, and artistic researchers, with a focus on transdisciplinary practice. Matuya provides artist residencies for focused individual work and opportunities for collaboration and exchange within the local cultural context and the natural environment. It is expected that resident artists should have at least a basic knowledge of Spanish. Matuya offers artists space and time to slow down in a bright rural village and welcoming community—fostering focus, openness and meaningful connections.