A4 Residency Art Center - China-en
Located in Chengdu's Luxelakes Eco-City, the residency provides artists and cultural practitioners with the opportunity to engage with contemporary Chinese society through a combination of independent research, community engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Deadline: 27 August 2026
Image: Artists' Kitchen, A4 Residency Art Center, 2024
Dutch and Chinese Artists' Kitchen, A4 Residency Art Center, 2024 artists have long collaborated on exhibitions, performances, residencies, festivals, and research projects. These exchanges have not only resulted in new artistic work and fresh perspectives but have also fostered lasting professional and personal relationships.
As we approach the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2027, a new generation of partnerships is taking shape. Under the core message Designing Shared Futures, the coming years offer exciting opportunities for Dutch cultural professionals to engage with China’s vibrant cultural landscape, develop new work together and contribute to addressing shared challenges through the power of culture. This is supported by the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Culture, both countries are committed to expanding opportunities for exchange, co-creation and long-term collaboration.
In collaboration with the Mondriaan Fund, we are delighted to share the exciting residency opportunity at A4 Residency Art Center (Chengdu) from 1 March–1 June 2027.
The A4 Residency Art Center offers an immersive environment for artistic research, experimentation, and cross-cultural exchange in one of China’s most dynamic urban regions. Located in Chengdu’s Luxelakes Eco-City, the residency provides artists and cultural practitioners with the opportunity to engage with contemporary Chinese society through a combination of independent research, community engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Chengdu is one of China’s most important cultural centres and is known for its rapid urban development, strong regional identity and growing international contemporary art scene. A4 Residency Art Center understands residency as a process of long-term observation, local engagement and gradual development, rather than simply a period of artistic production. Residents are encouraged to develop new perspectives through encounters with local communities, cultural practitioners, researchers, and fellow international participants. The program supports projects that explore social, environmental, cultural, and urban issues within both local and global contexts.
The residency is situated within Luxelakes Eco-City, a large-scale urban development that combines ecological planning, public space, cultural programming, and community life. Luxelakes is one of China’s most ambitious privately developed urban communities, where culture, ecology, education and everyday life are intentionally integrated. This context offers residents a unique framework for investigating the relationships between people, place, and contemporary society.