Free Artist Residencies in China

A non-profit residency fostering exchange between Chinese and international artists, with shared and private studios, accommodation, meals, local transport, and an exhibition outcome.

A4 Residency Art Center

Chengdu, China

The A4 Residency Art Center, based in Chengdu’s Luxelakes Eco-City, is an interdisciplinary and community-driven residency dedicated to fostering boundary-crossing creative practices. Since its foundation as part of the A4 Art Museum, it has supported artists, scientists, designers, and other thinkers from over 23 countries through deep, localized engagements. A4 emphasizes sustainability, transdisciplinarity, and co-creation with the public and community. The program offers artists studio and accommodation space, round-trip travel, production support, and access to a unique “Super Agent” system—local residents who help artists integrate culturally and socially. Residents are expected to engage with the community through public events, collaborative workshops, and open studios. The residency fosters experimental, interdisciplinary projects that examine the relationships between people, place, and culture. Each session ends with a major public event such as RE-CREATE Art Season or the RE-SALON Residency Forum. A4 is a hub for international creators seeking to blend artistic innovation with social relevance in China’s rapidly evolving urban and ecological context.

BY ART MATTERS Residency is a non-profit program under the BY ART MATTERS contemporary art museum in Hangzhou, China, offering contemporary artists and researchers a dynamic space for living, working, showing, and sharing to foster international and domestic art exchange. It provides fully-equipped studios (50-100 sq. m each) with separate bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms, accommodation for 7 days to 3 months, a living stipend, and opportunities for public presentations and artist talks. Initially aimed at overseas artists, it now focuses on Chinese artists due to travel restrictions, with plans to resume international residencies.

China Residencies

Shanghai, China

China Residencies is a web-based nonprofit directory listing over 50 artist residencies across mainland China and Hong Kong, helping artists discover opportunities since . It also runs a fiscal sponsorship program supporting projects, collectives, and individuals aligned with its mission. The platform serves as a comprehensive resource for residencies in various cities, catering to multiple disciplines without hosting artists itself.

Chongqing Dimensions Art Center (DAC)

Chongqing, China

Chongqing Dimensions Art Center (DAC) in Chongqing, China, offers artist residencies through programs like the Regular Residency Program for contemporary artists, curators, and designers worldwide, and the Emerging Artists Residency Program for those under 35, emphasizing cross-disciplinary research, creation, and symbiosis of art and society. Residencies provide free opportunities with facilities including studios for photography, wood, fabric, music, exhibition halls, and support for public activities like exhibitions, lectures, and workshops. Applications are open via email to info@chongqingdac.org, with durations from half a month to several months, including comfortable housing and workspaces in downtown Chongqing.

Foodstay Artist Residency

Shanghai, China

**Global Gastronomy Museum is calling for applications from artists, designers, architects, filmmakers, photographers, chefs, researchers, performers and other interdisciplinary practitioners from around the world for their inaugural one-month Foodstay Artist Residency in Shanghai, China.** The museum is dedicated to exploring food as a cultural language that connects people, places, histories and communities and is scheduled to officially open in October . The inaugural season, ‘**The Migration of Flavors on the Silk Road**’, explores the movement of ingredients, people, traditions and cultural identities across the Silk Road. The residency encourages artists to respond to themes such as migration, food heritage, sustainability, identity, craftsmanship, ritual, biodiversity and community through interdisciplinary artistic practice. During the residency, residents will develop new artistic projects in collaboration with the curatorial team, local communities, chefs, artisans and international partners. The residency culminates in public outcomes such as exhibitions, installations, workshops, performances, artist talks or participatory programmes.

ICCI

Shanghai, China

The ICCI ART VALLEY PROGRAM, organized by the USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, offers a residency for international artists and scholars. This program focuses on the integration of “Art plus Technology” and encourages cross-media practice and cultural exchange. The residency includes rent-free accommodation, a stipend, and opportunities for exhibitions and public engagements. The program is open to artists from various disciplines, with a preference for those engaged in interdisciplinary and digital art.

Why do we launch residency programs?We believe nowadays it has been more urgent than ever to build a creative community across different cultures and backgrounds, not in the sense of what the internet boasts of having brought about to the world. With the increasingly connected world by social media and e-commerce, the boosting availability of goods and products has evidently pushed people’s energy outward to conveniently gain anything

Points Center for Contemporary Art

Wuxi Shi, China

Points Center for Contemporary Art (PCCA) is a non-profit residency in Jinxi Ancient Town, Kunshan, Jiangsu, China. Focuses on curatorial practices, visual art, new media, video, performance, installations, and public engagement research for international artists and curators.

Sixi Museum

Nanjing, China

The Sixi Museum in Nanjing, China, offers the Sixi International Artist-in-Residence Project, a program designed to support emerging artists from diverse disciplines. The residency fosters cross-cultural exchange, creative breakthroughs, and personal growth by providing living accommodations, a dedicated studio space, and financial and logistical assistance. Participants stay in a city-center apartment and work in a loft studio on the outskirts of Nanjing, benefiting from technical resources and connections with the local art scene. The residency concludes with an exhibition showcasing the artists’ outcomes. Nanjing, a city known for its fusion of traditional and contemporary culture, provides a rich backdrop for creative exploration. The residency aims to contribute to Nanjing’s vibrant art ecology and international cultural exchanges, supporting the development of contemporary art in China.

Swatch Art Peace Hotel

Shanghai, China

The Swatch Art Peace Hotel artist residency in Shanghai is a unique cultural initiative that combines artistic creation with the vibrant energy of the city. Established by Chema Alvargonzalez and supported by Memoria Artística Chema Alvargonzalez, it focuses on creative exchange among international artists. The residency is situated in a historic modernist-style building, fostering an inspiring environment for artists. The program invites a diverse range of contemporary artists, including dancers, musicians, photographers, filmmakers, and writers, to live and work in the heart of Shanghai. During their stay, artists contribute an artistic "trace," enriching the residency's legacy. The Swatch Art Peace Hotel embraces artistic freedom and encourages artists to explore new ideas and collaborations. This residency is known for its strong connection to the global art scene and its commitment to supporting artistic development in a dynamic urban setting.