Künstlerhaus Kunsthalle Kulturlabor

Dates & Procedures

Application window for the year 2025 (February 1st – November 30th 2025):
opens Monday, September 30th 2024, 6pm CET
and closes Monday, October 21st, 10am CET.

Applicants are contacted and informed about the jury’s decision until end of November 2024 latest.

In case of a positive decision, applicants will receive an offer for a residency at Fundaziun Nairs in 2025. The information provided by the applicants during the application process creates the frame by which the Fundaziun Nairs attempts to adhere to.

Agreements for residencies at Fundaziun Nairs in 2025 must be reached by the end of the year 2024 the latest.

The Fundaziun Nairs keeps a waiting list. The waiting list is not transferred to subsequent years.

LINK TO THE APPLICATION FORM

Application

You will need a google/gmail account in order to fill out the application form. An @gmail.com address is not necessary.

We kindly ask all applicants to carefully read the information on this website.

Besides personal information the following documents are needed to complete the application:

• Portfolio (pdf, max. 10MB)
• Cover letter, Motivation (pdf, max. 1MB)
• Artistic CV, incl. education, etc. (pdf, max. 1MB)
• [optional] Project Proposal (pdf, max 10MB)

Letters of Recommendation (not mandatory) or other accompanying records are added to the „Portfolio“ document.

We urge applicants to keep their applications simple and true to their style, attitude and convictions. We in no way want to add to the loop of wasted time created by excessively complicated application processes. If we say that something is not mandatory or optional, we mean it.

Selection Committee

The Selection Committee for 2025 consists of:

• Clifford E. Bruckmann (Chair, Director Fundaziun Nairs)
• Michelle Akanji (former Co-Director Theater Gessnerallee, Zurich)
• Cathrin Jarema (Team Member Fundaziun Nairs)
• Damian Jurt (Curator, Kunstmuseum Chur)
• Geraldine Tedder (Director Kunsthalle Winterthur)
• Patrizia Vitali (Head Artist-in-Residence Program, Fundaziun Nairs)

Selection Criteria

The Fundaziun Nairs has a historical and traditional proximity to contemporary, visual arts, literature and music. It is important to point out that the Fundaziun Nairs invite all artists and cultural works from all disciplines to apply.

As a cultural and artistic institution we strive to see the valuable diversity of different cultural protagonists represented within our artist-in-residence program. This may be in regards to the artistic practice, the biographical background, made or desired experiences or current life realities.

As a guideline for the selection committee the following questions are considered:

• Is the artistic œuvre independent/original and is it developed in a professional manner? [Portfolio, Artistic CV]
• Is the motivation for a residency at Fundaziun Nairs coherent with what Fundaziun Nairs has to offer? [Cover Letter, Project Proposal if applicable]
• Is social competence, the desire for living with other artists and for exchange provided? [Cover Letter, Artistic CV]
• How does the biography in regards to experience, artistic activity and general development appear? [Artistic CV, Portfolio, Cover Letter]

Costs

The Fundaziun Nairs seeks to keep costs für guest artists as low as possible and covers most of the costs of the program. However, at the moment it is inescapable to charge a contribution toward expenses of CHF 950.- per month. Besides the accommodation, also the costs for the common food supply in house are included.

Costs per month: CHF 950.-
Life partner in same room per month: CHF 475.-
The costs for children depend on the childrens‘ ages.
Alumni/former residents per month: CHF 1’100.-

Due to possible allergies of other artists in residence, guests are not permitted to bring pets. In case of service animals we kindly ask to mention it accordingly during the application process so the staff can make respective assessments.

Various partner organizations offer residencies at Fundaziun Nairs in combination with grants. The application processes and dates are coordinated by the partner organizations:
– Pro Helvetia (foreign offices)
– Stichting Stokroos
– Aargauer Kuratorium

If necessary, we suggest to apply for grants from public or private institutions as early as possible. We will gladly supply you with invitation letters.

What we offer

Room
The Fundaziun Nairs offers space for up to nine artists simultaneously. Depending on the artistic practice and the respective requirements, different living and working arrangement are possible:
– Smaller Rooms, Living and Working combined
– Larger Rooms, Living and Working combined
– Separate Rooms for Living and Working

Beds, mattresses, bedding, linens and towels as well as basic furnishing of the rooms are supplied by the Fundaziun Nairs. Weekly cleaning of the shared areas (with exception of the shared kitchen) is provided by the Fundaziun Nairs.

Board
The Fundaziun Nairs offers the artists in residence a pantry filled with many basic foods (vegetarian, no alcohol). The group of resident artists additionally receives a small budget for special products not included in the basic supply. The artists cook and eat together in the evenings.

Material & Tools
The Fundaziun Nairs can offer a basic selection of tools, material and electronics available by request.
A printer (color laser, A3, duplex) is available to residents.

Activities
Occasionally, the team of the Fundaziun Nairs organizes collective activities on a voluntary basis.

Location & Language

The Fundaziun Nairs is located in the Lower Engadine region and is part of the municipality of Scuol. The Lower Engadine region is a well developed but nonetheless fairly remote, alpine region in the southeast of Switzerland and the Canton of Grisons (Graubünden). The closest urban centers are Chur (capital of the canton, ca. 1.5h), Innsbruck (Austria, ca. 2h), Zurich (ca. 3.5h) and Milan (Italy, ca. 4.5h).

The Fundaziun Nairs is not directly accessible by public transport. The closest train station is Scuol-Tarasp. The closest international airports are located in or around Zurich, Innsbruck and Milan. Walking from/to Scuol takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on season and weather.

The seasons in the region are very pronounced. The summers are warm to hot and very sunny with low atmospheric protection due to the altitude. The altitude also results in long winters and can lead to unexpected cold snaps (also in summer).

The local language is Rumantsch. The local idiom/dialect is called Vallader. This language, only spoken by a few thousand people, is the everyday language in this region. Especially in the Lower Engadine region, the preservation and fosterage of the language is a common, cultural activity. Most inhabitants of the region also speak Swiss German or German. English, Italian and Portuguese are also spoken by some people in the region.

The staff of the Fundaziun Nairs speak mainly German and English. The general communication with artists in residence is conducted in English. Individual communication with artists in residence is conducted according to their needs. The Fundaziun Nairs cannot offer in depth support in languages other than English or German.

Travel & Visa

Travel Costs
Artists in residence are responsible for their travel plans and cover the travel costs individually.

Air Travel
Flight connections to Zurich, Innsbruck or Milan are available from almost all airports worldwide. Scuol can be reached by train very well (Rhätische Bahn/SBB). The duration of the travel should not be underestimated though.

Travel by Train
The trip with the train from and to Zurich usually takes ca. 3-3.5h. The last connections leave the respective points of departure in the early evening.

Travel by Car
Fundaziun Nairs can be reached well by car. There is parking available for artists in residence.

Visa
Artists are responsible for visa themselves. Unfortunately, the Fundaziun Nairs cannot offer anything more than the most basic support in this matter.

Additional Information

Duration of Stay
The minimum duration of a residency at the Fundaziun Nairs is two months. The maximum duration of a residency at the Fundaziun Nairs is ten months.

Public Use
The Fundaziun Nairs is a building accessible to the public. There are events on a regular basis in the Fundaziun Nairs which are visited by a broad audience. The private spaces of the artists in residence are architecturally separated from the publicly accessible areas of the building. However, it is possible that these public activities affect life in the house. On one hand, the team of the Fundaziun Nairs is adamant to let the balance in between public and private use never to affect the guest artists negatively. On the other hand, we ask our artists in residence to respect the publicly accessible spaces within the building.

Gir d’AiR
About once a month the event „Gir d’AiR“ (en. Tour of the Artist-in-Residence) takes place. This format is focused on making the work of the artists in residence accessible to the public. Resident artists open their studios and give visitors a chance to gain insight into their processes and thoughts. The tour is accompanied and moderated by members of the team of the Fundaziun Nairs.

Guests / Guest Rooms
The Fundaziun Nairs has a few guest rooms available to residents for booking for visits of friends and family. The prices can vary depending on use and number of guests. The availability depends on the needs of the Fundaziun Nairs. Most tasks or duties allow for other activities in house or are not a full workday. There is no guarantee for the availability of tasks.

3 for 1 – Work with/for Nairs
Starting in 2025, artists in residence will have the possibility to take over tasks (i.e. supervision of exhibitions / visitor relations, support new residents, support with events, etc.) following the principle „3 for 1“ (one day of work for three days of residence) to support financing their stay in the Fundaziun Nairs.

Families
A residency with children is possible in principle. However, it depends on the respective family situation and dates as well as other organizational considerations. We do encourage artists with children to apply but ask to explicitly mention it in the application.