Artist Residencies in Zürich

Why artists choose Zürich for residencies

Zürich is compact, highly resourced, and intensely professional. You get a concentration of museums, galleries, production venues, and funding bodies inside a city you can cross in under an hour by tram. That mix is why so many residencies and exchange programs gravitate here.

If you come for a residency, you can expect:

• Serious infrastructure: major museums like Kunsthaus Zürich, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, and a dense gallery network.
• A strong performance and dance ecosystem: Tanzhaus Zürich anchors a scene where choreography, performance, visual art, and theory overlap.
• Funding culture: federal bodies like Pro Helvetia, plus cantonal and municipal support, foundations, and institutional co-productions.
• Connections beyond Switzerland: easy train links to Germany, Austria, Italy, and France; a lot of curators and artists treating Zürich as a hub rather than a bubble.

The trade-off is obvious: high standards and good support, but also one of the most expensive cities in Europe. Residencies that include housing or a decent stipend make a huge difference.

Key residency options in Zürich

Zürich’s residency landscape is a patchwork: dedicated programs, institutional exchanges, and hybrid setups. Here are the main ones to understand first.

Tanzhaus Zürich — short, focused residencies for choreographic work

Good for: choreographers, dancers, and movement-based performance artists who want concentrated R&D time with an engaged local dance scene.

Format

• 12-day research and development residencies.
• Hosted at Tanzhaus Zürich, a key institution for contemporary choreography and performance.
• Framed explicitly as research and development, not finished production.

Who it’s for

• Artists based in one of Zürich’s communities who want a first collaboration with Tanzhaus.
• Artists who already have a relationship with Tanzhaus (co-productions, accomplice programs, festivals).
• Artists proposed by Tanzhaus accomplices.
• National and international artists at a more established stage of their career.

Priority goes to artists whose work is driven by a clear personal, social, or aesthetic urgency and who bring a sustainability mindset into their practice.

Support and conditions

• Local artists: flat rate of around CHF 600 per person, for up to two people.
• National and international artists: per diems of about CHF 50 per day per person, for up to two people.
• Travel covered within Europe up to a set limit per person, by train only for climate reasons.
• Overnight stays covered in the Tanzhaus residency apartment.

What you usually submit

• Short project sketch (around one page).
• A few lines on why you want to come to Tanzhaus specifically.
• CV and video links to past works (if available).
• Rough preferred dates or timeframe.

How to think about it strategically

The residency is short, so you treat it like an intensive lab rather than a full production period. It is ideal for:

• Testing choreographic ideas with dancers from Zürich and beyond.
• Developing a research phase you can later produce elsewhere.
• Building or deepening a relationship with Tanzhaus, which can matter for future co-productions and invitations.

For movement-based artists, this program is one of the cleanest entry points into the Zürich scene.

Rote Fabrik — AiR within a cultural center

Good for: visual artists, performers, musicians, theatre makers, and filmmakers from abroad who want a studio inside a busy cultural complex.

Where and what

• Located in a former factory on the lake, Rote Fabrik is a major independent cultural center.
• The Artists in Residence (AiR) program hosts foreign professional artists for around three months.
• Disciplines include visual arts, dance, theatre, music, and film.

What it offers

• A dedicated work studio with agreed infrastructure.
• Integration into the cultural center: neighbours include studios, venues, organizers, and other artists.
• A contact person from IG Rote Fabrik to support you.
• Regular exchange with local artists and cultural workers on site.
• Opportunities to present work in the studio or in the broader Rote Fabrik context.
• Accommodation in Zürich.

How it feels in practice

You are not in an isolated rural retreat. You are in a constantly active cultural building, with people coming in for concerts, theatre shows, screenings, and meetings. The residency suits you if you want:

• Immediate community around you day-to-day.
• Audience-facing experiments during your stay.
• Access to an interdisciplinary scene rather than a single-discipline bubble.

Many artists use the time to research and build networks as much as to produce a specific finished work.

25hours Hotel Langstrasse — Artist in Hotel Residence

Good for: artists who enjoy urban context, social practice, and experimenting with hospitality or everyday life as a setting.

Concept

• Residency hosted inside the 25hours Hotel Zürich Langstrasse, in the dense and lively Kreis 4 district.
• Curated by artist and curator Esther Eppstein, known for the long-running project message salon.
• Less formal studio residency, more of a hybrid between art project, curatorial platform, and temporary home.

Why it’s interesting

• You are embedded in a hotel and neighbourhood that are already full of stories, nightlife, and social frictions.
• Good for projects that respond to the urban environment, the idea of hospitality, or chance encounters.
• Can lead to public moments inside the hotel or in nearby spaces, depending on the project.

This is not the place to quietly build large sculptures, but it is ideal if your practice can turn a hotel room or a lobby into a temporary studio and stage.

Pro Helvetia residencies — national and international exchanges

Good for: professional artists and cultural practitioners who fit Pro Helvetia’s eligibility rules and want an exchange-based residency in or linked to Switzerland.

What Pro Helvetia does

• Funds residencies for artists from Switzerland to work abroad and for artists from certain regions to work in Switzerland.
• Residencies typically last up to three months.
• Conditions vary depending on partner institution and location.

Why it matters for Zürich

• Pro Helvetia often partners with Swiss institutions that either are in Zürich or connected to the city’s network.
• Even if the specific residency site is elsewhere, Zürich is frequently part of the travel and networking circuit when artists pass through Switzerland.
• The foundation’s support can underwrite stays that might otherwise be financially out of reach, especially given Zürich’s costs.

If you are eligible through your nationality or residency, treating Pro Helvetia as a key ally rather than a side note can open doors to Zürich-based collaborations and hosts.

Other Zürich-related and nearby options to watch

Zürich’s residency scene includes programs tied to universities, labs, and artist-run initiatives. A few that often intersect with the city’s networks:

• Artists-in-labs: a program that places artists in scientific laboratories and research institutes, sometimes in or near Zürich, to support long-term research-based practice.
• Hotel, foundation, or gallery-linked residencies: changing, often invite-only, often tied to specific curators or partnerships.
• Artist-run project spaces: some host informal or short-term residencies, especially for collaboration-heavy or performance-driven work.

To keep track of shifting opportunities, it helps to check aggregators and local portals like:

• Residency.ch
• On the Move
• Pro Helvetia
• Institution pages such as Tanzhaus Zürich and Rote Fabrik.

How the city works for visiting artists

A residency is not just a studio: you are also dealing with rent, groceries, transport, and social energy. Zürich is generous in some ways and harsh in others. Knowing the basic structure helps you plan.

Cost of living and how residencies offset it

Zürich is expensive across the board:

• Housing: the biggest cost. Residencies that include an apartment or a room remove a major stress point.
• Food: supermarkets are manageable if you cook, eating out regularly gets pricey fast.
• Studio space: outside of residency support, long-term studios are competitive and not cheap.
• Transport: not cheap but fair for the quality, and you rarely need a car.

Many residency programs in Zürich respond to this by:

• Providing housing or live–work space.
• Offering per diems or stipends (Tanzhaus and some Pro Helvetia-supported stays).
• Covering travel costs, often preferring or requiring train travel for environmental reasons.

When you compare residencies, look not just at the stipend number but at what is included: an apartment and transit card can be more valuable than a higher fee with no housing.

Neighbourhoods artists often interact with

Zürich is divided into districts (Kreise), each with its own texture. For residencies, a few zones come up again and again:

• Kreis 4 / Langstrasse: where the 25hours Hotel Langstrasse sits. Dense, energetic, and nightlife-heavy. You are close to project spaces, bars, and small venues.
• Kreis 5 / Zürich West: former industrial area turned cultural and design district. Expect converted warehouses, galleries, and creative offices.
• Rote Fabrik by the lake: slightly off-center but very connected by public transport. You get lake access, a big cultural center, and a steady flow of events.
• Inner city and lake-side areas like Seefeld: more polished, more expensive, home to galleries and institutions.
• Outer districts such as Altstetten or Oerlikon: more residential or industrial, often where you might find studios or alternative spaces.

If your residency offers housing, you might simply accept where it is and enjoy the local context. If not, aim for somewhere with good tram and S-Bahn connections rather than trying to live walking distance from everything. The city is small enough that a 10–20 minute ride is normal.

Studios, workspaces, and production support

Residencies in Zürich often integrate you into existing studio complexes and cultural centers rather than placing you in a solitary house. That can work in your favour if you lean into it.

Typical setups you encounter:

• Dedicated residency studios inside institutions like Rote Fabrik.
• Rehearsal spaces at places like Tanzhaus for movement-based practices.
• Shared studios in larger complexes where you meet other artists making work at the same time.
• Hotel rooms or apartments repurposed as studios in programs like Artist in Hotel Residence.

It helps to contact the host in advance with clear technical questions:

• Can you paint, drill, or build in the studio?
• Is loud sound or night-time work okay?
• Are there shared tools, equipment, or workshops nearby?
• Is there tech support for performance or installation?

The more specific you are, the easier it is for hosts to say yes, no, or propose a workaround.

Moving through the city: transport and visas

Most Zürich residencies expect you to operate without a car. The good news is that the transit system actually supports that.

Public transport

Zürich’s public transport network makes it easy to reach studios, institutions, and events:

• Trams and buses cover the city thoroughly.
• S-Bahn (suburban trains) connect outer districts and nearby towns.
• Airport link is fast and straightforward by train.

Residency programs sometimes provide transit passes or factor transit costs into per diems. When you plan, assume you will rely on public transport and walking, not taxis.

Some hosts, like Tanzhaus Zürich, explicitly prefer train travel over flights for residency arrivals, especially within Europe. If your project involves long-distance travel, build that into your budget and timeline.

Visa basics for artists

Visa needs depend on your passport and the length and structure of your stay:

• EU/EFTA citizens usually have a simpler path for short residencies, though registration or permits may be required for longer stays.
• Non-EU/EFTA artists may need a Schengen visa or a specific permit, especially when the residency includes fees or employment-like conditions.

Before you accept or apply, clarify with the host:

• Will you receive an official invitation letter?
• Is the money framed as a fee, a grant, or per diem?
• How long will you stay and how many entries to Switzerland you might need?

Residencies and institutions in Zürich are used to dealing with these questions, and many can advise on typical procedures, but the responsibility sits with you to confirm legal details for your nationality.

Timing, networking, and using your residency well

Any residency in Zürich is partly about the city itself: who you meet, what you see, and how you position your work in relation to a fairly concentrated ecosystem.

When to be there

While exact cycles vary, many artists find:

• Spring strong for exhibitions, openings, and institutional programs.
• Early autumn busy with new seasons, festivals, and fresh programming after summer breaks.
• Summer good for festivals and informal meetings, though some spaces slow down in holiday periods.

When you can choose your residency dates, aligning with active seasons means more openings to attend, more people in town, and more chances to show work in-progress.

How to meet people and show up

Because Zürich is small, showing up regularly has real impact. Simple practices help you get traction during your residency:

• Visit galleries and museums consistently; staff and regulars start to recognize faces.
• Attend events at your hosting institution, whether that is Tanzhaus, Rote Fabrik, or a hotel program.
• Take advantage of open studio days and public talks.
• Ask your residency host to introduce you to one or two people they think you should know.

Artists often leave Zürich with invitations for future collaborations, exhibitions, or performances not because the residency promised it, but because they treated their stay as an opportunity to build relationships, not just finish a project.

What kind of artist Zürich suits

Residencies in Zürich tend to reward artists who:

• Are comfortable in structured and institution-adjacent environments.
• Value research and reflection as much as production.
• Enjoy interdisciplinary exchange across dance, visual arts, performance, and sound.
• Can work effectively with limited space and higher living costs when not fully covered.

Zürich is less ideal if your practice requires huge, cheap studio spaces or if you want a very loose, off-grid environment. It is well-suited if you are ready to plug into a dense, relatively formal ecosystem and make it work for your next phase of practice.

Planning your next step

If you are curious about Zürich, a good path is:

• Identify one or two programs that align with your medium, like Tanzhaus for performance or Rote Fabrik for mixed disciplines.
• Map how their support (housing, per diem, travel) lines up with your real-world costs.
• Reach out early with concrete project ideas and clear needs.
• Use networks like Residency.ch, On the Move, and Pro Helvetia to spot related opportunities and build a longer-term Swiss connection.

The city is intense, but the combination of infrastructure, funding culture, and connectedness makes Zürich a strong base for a focused residency period that can echo in your practice long after you leave.