SIXI Artist Residency 2027 in Nanjing: Funded Three-Month Spring and Autumn Calls
Sixi Museum, a contemporary art institution in Nanjing, China, is inviting international artists to apply for its 2027 SIXI Artist-in-Residence (AiR) programme. Four artists are to be selected for three-month residencies during two sessions: spring from March to May 2027 and autumn from September to November 2027. The advertised application deadline is 15 November 2026. The programme accepts a range of visual, lens-based, sound, writing and cross-disciplinary practices, but asks applicants to address one of two distinctive research themes, rather than propose generic studio production.
Two research themes with different approaches
Flux and Imprints: Contemporary Echoes of Migration History. Proposals may examine migration memories, overseas Chinese family stories, identity in global politics, colonial histories, archival materials and personal oral histories.
Folds of Text: Cross-Media Intertextuality and Intervention. The organiser invites links among writing, linguistics, image-making, sound and music, with text treated as a flexible cultural medium beyond printed words.
Film, experimental photography, video, installation, sound and digital media practitioners can be relevant when their proposals connect meaningfully with these subjects.
Residency and support, including limitations
Sixi Museum describes a city-centre apartment, a loft studio in an outlying part of Nanjing, basic work facilities, technician and staff help, connections with local artists and the opportunity to show resulting work in an exhibition. It says living and production assistance and some financial support are available; independent opportunity notices describe possible round-trip travel, visa-related and insurance support. However, the first-party overview does not publish a universal fixed cash stipend, so do not assume a salary or a particular reimbursement before reviewing the individual award letter. Clarify material production budgets, visa invitation, insurance coverage and whether any works produced during the residency are expected to be donated to the museum.
Application essentials
Deadline: 15 November 2026; verify the precise time and electronic submission method with the organiser.
Two programme windows: March–May or September–November 2027, approximately three months each.
Four artists are being recruited across the announced sessions, not four for every discipline.
Prepare a professional artist biography and CV, recent portfolio, project proposal explaining theme and research steps, preferred session, needs and availability.
Applications and direct enquiries are handled through the organiser; contact info@siximuseum.com and refer to the official 2027 open-call instructions.
For international applicants, allow additional time for Chinese visa processing, travel and any exhibition-related rights agreements.
A real institution with prior artist residencies
Sixi Museum identifies itself as a nonprofit institution engaged in collection, exhibitions, research and public education. Its AiR scheme began in 2024 and maintains an online archive of actual work by former residents, including Malaysian artist Win Yi Ng and Italian artist Maria Positano in spring 2026, as well as Oscar Lebeck, Zayn Qahtani and others from earlier sessions. Their interviews and short studio films provide a concrete way of checking what the programme has delivered in Nanjing.
Artistic rights and expectations
Applicants should confirm ownership and reproduction rights for source imagery, video, participant interviews and datasets. A residency invitation can involve separate licensing of installation documentation, exhibition images or permanent collections; do not infer that the artist must surrender all copyright merely because an exhibition is offered. Ask for any obligation to donate a work and reimbursement of specialised production materials in writing before agreeing.
Official application sources
SIXI AiR official 2027 spring/autumn announcement: https://siximuseum.com/en/news/8/
Sixi Museum artist-in-residence programme and alumni: https://siximuseum.com/en/residency/
Checked 24 October 2026. Four places across three-month spring and autumn 2027 residencies in Nanjing; 15 November 2026 application deadline.