Artist Residencies in Susch

Why Susch works as a residency destination

Susch is a very small village in the Engadin valley in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On paper it looks remote and quiet; in practice, that quiet is exactly what makes it powerful for a residency. Instead of a packed gallery circuit, you get mountains, a historic monastery complex, and a contemporary museum that thinks seriously about research and dialogue.

The central anchor is Muzeum Susch, built into the former monastery and brewery buildings. The museum and its foundation are what bring artists, writers, and researchers to Susch, and they shape how residencies here function: less about producing a new body of work, more about thinking, talking, and testing ideas.

The Engadin valley has long pulled in artists and thinkers; the residency explicitly references figures like Friedrich Nietzsche, Alberto Giacometti, Marcel Proust, Lee Miller, Luchino Visconti, Gerhard Richter, Jenny Saville, Ludovico Einaudi, and Julian Schnabel. You feel that lineage in how the place is framed: time, landscape, reflection, and longer lines of thought.

If your practice is research-heavy, writing-based, conceptual, or performance-driven, Susch can function almost like a temporary lab. If you need heavy tools, fabrication workshops, or constant art-market contact, you’ll likely find it limiting.

Key residency: TEMPORARS SUSCH

The main residency to know in Susch is TEMPORARS SUSCH, run by Muzeum Susch and Art Stations Foundation CH. The residency unfolds inside a historic house (the “Chasa”) right next to the museum, part of the same monastery complex that once hosted pilgrims and travelers.

Who the residency is for

TEMPORARS SUSCH is intentionally broad in who it invites. It is open to:

Artists of all disciplines (visual, performance, sound, multidisciplinary, etc.)
Writers and poets
Curators and cultural workers
Researchers exploring art, culture, and related fields

Career stage is mixed: emerging, mid-career, and established practitioners participate in the same program. That mix is part of the residency culture; the aim is exchange, not hierarchy.

Structure and rhythm of the residency

The program runs several cohorts per year. Each open-call slot usually hosts about four to five residents at a time. Stays tend to be two to four weeks, with some flexibility around individual needs and project type.

The rhythm is very different from a production boot camp. There is no requirement to deliver a finished exhibition or project, and the residency itself describes its model as non-production oriented. Instead, you are encouraged to focus on:

Research and reading
Developing or restructuring a project
Thinking through new conceptual directions
Testing ideas through conversation, not just objects

Public engagement and expectations

Even though there’s no pressure to produce a tangible outcome, residents are expected to contribute to the intellectual life of the museum and the local context. That usually means sharing your work or methods through activities such as:

Workshops
Artist talks or lectures
Panel discussions
Performances or screenings
Informal conversations and encounters with visitors and locals

The form of this is flexible and tailored to your practice. If your work is quiet or research-based, you can frame a talk or a reading. If you’re performance-oriented, a small live event or intervention can make sense. The underlying expectation is that you are ready to share, respond, and hold space for dialogue.

What the residency provides

The practical offer from TEMPORARS SUSCH is relatively generous for a rural Swiss residency and typically includes:

Accommodation in a historic country house (Chasa) with five individual bedrooms
Shared facilities: four shared bathrooms, two shared kitchens, and common spaces
WiFi and basic work areas in the house and foundation building
Travel support: coverage of travel to and from Susch, often including a return flight for international residents
Weekly stipend (quoted as around 350 CHF per week in some calls) to cover food and daily costs
On-site assistance and coordination from the team

Funding levels and specific conditions can change, so it is smart to check the latest information on the official site at Muzeum Susch or via their residency page.

What the residency does not provide

This is critical for planning your project. TEMPORARS SUSCH:

Does not provide a dedicated studio
Does not financially support production (materials, fabrication, large installations)
Does not require a finished artwork or exhibition

There are several multi-use spaces in the house and museum complex that residents can use as workrooms, rehearsal areas, or places to spread out research materials. But you will not find a fully-equipped workshop, print shop, or media lab on site.

If your practice relies on specialized tools or large-scale fabrication, plan to either:

Bring compact tools and materials you can realistically transport
Focus on writing, drawing, planning, and small-scale testing while in Susch
Use the residency specifically to prepare a project you’ll produce somewhere else

Who thrives here

TEMPORARS SUSCH tends to work best when you fit one or more of these profiles:

You are a research-based visual artist working with archives, text, or site-specific questions
You are a writer or poet needing time away from daily obligations
You are a performance, sound, or vocal artist who can rehearse and develop work in modest spaces
You are a curator or theorist developing an exhibition, publication, or long-term project
You are comfortable in shared accommodation and value conversation as much as studio time

It’s less ideal if your project depends heavily on large fabrication, continuous access to makerspaces, or daily contact with commercial galleries.

The feel of Susch: village, museum, and landscape

Susch is small enough that you will quickly recognize people: other residents, museum staff, local shop owners, and neighbors. The village is located on the red Swiss trains that cross Graubünden, and the station famously greets you with the words “Fermada sün dumonda” – “Stop on request.” It’s an apt metaphor for how the residency operates: you intentionally step out of your usual flow for a while.

Village layout and daily life

There is no need to think in terms of neighborhoods. The entire village is walkable. As a resident, your practical daily orbit usually looks like this:

The Chasa: your accommodation, shared kitchens, and informal workspaces
Muzeum Susch: exhibitions, library/archive access, talks, and encounters with staff and visitors
Small village services: basic groceries, a café or restaurant depending on season, and the train station
Paths and trails: for walking, thinking, and sketching in the landscape

Because facilities are compact, you don’t spend time commuting. Instead, distance shows up as mental space: you are quite far from dense city life, which can be either freeing or disorienting depending on your temperament.

Landscape as studio

The Engadin valley and surrounding mountains can become an extension of your workspace. Artists often use the area for:

Walking-based practices: daily routes for thinking, field notes, and photographs
Sound recording: water, wind, trains, and seasonal shifts
Observation of light and seasonal color: useful for painting, drawing, and photography
Site-responsive writing: working with history, pilgrimage, and travel as themes

Susch has a layered history as a stop for pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela and Rome. You feel that in the way the complex is described: once a place of respite for travelers in search of penance or meaning, now a home for museum visitors and temporary residents who are also looking for something quite specific.

Muzeum Susch as a resource

Muzeum Susch operates like a contemporary art laboratory with a strong research angle and a particular attention to women artists and overlooked narratives. As a resident, this gives you:

Access to exhibitions that take risks and engage deeply with context
Potential encounters with curators, visiting artists, and researchers
A library and archive for quiet research sessions
An auditorium and public program where talks and performances happen

This environment encourages you to position your work in conversation with art history, gender, landscape, and long-term research rather than just the latest trend cycle.

Practicalities: money, access, and logistics

Switzerland is expensive, even in rural areas. The stipend at TEMPORARS SUSCH is designed to offset local prices, but your personal budget and work style will still matter.

Cost of living and budgeting

When planning your stay, think through:

Food: Groceries in Switzerland are relatively high compared to many countries. Shared kitchens help; cooking for yourself is usually the most economical option.
Materials: If your project needs specialized supplies, either bring them or source them in larger hubs such as Zürich or Chur. Local options around Susch are limited.
Local travel: Train trips add up. If you plan to explore the region on your days off, consider a Swiss rail discount card.
Personal extras: Café visits, museum trips outside Susch, and occasional meals out can become significant if you don’t track them.

Design a project that is relatively low on material costs and high on reading, thinking, and small-scale experimentation; that aligns well with the residency’s ethos and keeps your budget under control.

Getting to Susch

Most international artists arrive via Zürich Airport, then travel by train into Graubünden. A typical route might be:

Zürich Airport to Zürich HB (main station)
Zürich HB to Chur or another regional hub
Then onto the Engadin line to Susch

The journey is straightforward and scenic. The trains are reliable, including in winter, although schedules and weather can slightly affect travel times. Residency staff often provide clear instructions and may book your travel when support includes transport.

Getting around once you’re there

Inside Susch, you will mostly move on foot. For wider trips:

Train: connects you to nearby towns like Zernez, Scuol, and further to Davos or St. Moritz
Bus: covers regional routes not directly on the train line
Car rental: useful only if your project is highly site-specific and requires access to remote spots; otherwise, not essential

Visas and entry conditions

Susch is in Switzerland, which participates in the Schengen area for short stays. Visa requirements depend on your nationality and the length of your residency.

Artists from EU/EFTA countries usually enter without a visa for short stays.
Artists from non-EU countries should check whether a short-stay Schengen visa is required.

For a two to four week residency, many artists can work within standard short-stay limits, but you need to check your own case. The residency can typically provide an official invitation letter, which helps with visa applications and border checks.

Before committing, confirm:

Your passport is valid for the required period
You have enough allowable Schengen days if you are combining Susch with other European travel
The residency can issue documentation that states your dates, support, and purpose clearly

Context: comparing Susch to other Swiss residencies

To understand Susch clearly, it helps to compare it with other Swiss options that offer a different style of residency. One commonly referenced example is La Becque near Lake Geneva. While not in Susch, it gives you a sense of the spectrum.

At La Becque, you find:

Fully equipped live/work apartments
Dedicated studios and workshops (wood, ceramics, sound, etc.)
Infrastructure aimed at production and long-term projects

By contrast, TEMPORARS SUSCH offers:

A historic house with bedrooms and shared kitchens
Flexible multipurpose spaces but no formal studios
A focus on research, conversations, and public exchange

Thinking of it this way helps you decide how to use Susch strategically. You might, for example, draft a new project in Susch, then apply to a more production-based residency to realize its physical components.

Local and regional art encounters

Susch does not have a cluster of commercial galleries or independent art spaces; Muzeum Susch is the main institution. Your immediate community is the residency cohort, museum staff, curators, and local visitors. This gives the place an intimate, almost seminar-like atmosphere.

If you want to extend your network while there, you can look to nearby towns and cities:

Scuol: a larger town in the region with more services and some cultural programming
Zernez: gateway to the Swiss National Park and a practical base for landscape research
Chur: regional center with museums and additional art institutions
Zürich: the main Swiss hub for galleries, institutions, publishers, and art schools

You can structure your time so that the residency provides deep focus and reflection, while trips before or after your stay connect you to wider art infrastructures.

When to go and how to use the seasons

Susch changes a lot across the year, and the season will shape your work more than in many urban residencies.

Spring and early summer: snow recedes, paths open, and days lengthen. Good for walking, outdoor research, photography, and observational practices.
Late summer and autumn: rich colors, still walkable terrain, and a slightly calmer tourist flow. Strong for artists working with landscape and time.
Winter: quiet, snow-covered, and introspective. Travel is still manageable but more weather-dependent. Ideal for deep writing, editing, and concentrated reading or planning.

Think about your project’s needs. If you rely on outdoor movement, plan around milder seasons. If your main goal is to sit with a pile of books and rewrite a text, winter isolation can be a gift.

Is Susch the right residency context for you?

To decide, it can help to run a simple self-check:

Project type: Can your project benefit from quiet, small-scale testing, and conceptual reflection more than from heavy production?
Working style: Are you comfortable working with a laptop, notebook, camera, or small set of tools instead of a full workshop?
Social energy: Do you enjoy intense, small-group discussions more than large public scenes?
Environment: Does a rural, alpine setting with strong institutional support sound energizing rather than isolating?

If you answered yes to most of these, Susch can be a strong choice. If your upcoming project is all about fabrication, scale, and constant in-person networking with galleries, another residency may serve you better right now.

How to move forward

To use Susch strategically in your residency trajectory:

Visit the official page for TEMPORARS SUSCH via Muzeum Susch and read the residency description carefully.
Check platforms such as TransArtists or other residency listings for updated calls.
Shape your application around research questions, methods, and possible public engagement rather than promising a big finished project.
Think about how time in Susch fits into a longer arc: what do you arrive with, and where do you plan to take that work next?

Susch rewards artists who come with clear questions and an openness to slow time. If you use it as a dedicated pause to rethink, reframe, and recharge your practice, the impact can be long-lasting even after you leave the valley.