Can Serrat Spring–Summer 2027 — residency in Catalonia with grants, studios and an international community
Life and work at the foot of Montserrat, an international artistic community and the chance to step away from your usual routine for a few weeks to focus on your own project. Can Serrat has launched an international open call for visual and interdisciplinary artists working with contemporary artistic practices, research and experimental formats.
About the Residency
The Can Serrat residency is located in El Bruc, a small Catalan town 45 km from Barcelona. The residency is housed in a historic farmhouse near the Montserrat mountain range and is considered one of the oldest international artist residencies in Catalonia. The programme has been running since 1989 and over the years has become an important meeting point for artists, writers, researchers and creators of interdisciplinary projects from around the world.
The space is at once reminiscent of an artists’ commune, a country house and an international laboratory of ideas.
Up to 35 participants from different disciplines and countries can stay at the residency at any one time, which is why Can Serrat places an emphasis not only on individual work but also on the exchange of experiences, shared conversations, communal dinners and professional connections.
The Spring–Summer 2027 programme runs from May to July 2027. The organisers emphasise that they are not looking for ‘perfect’ projects based on formal criteria, but rather for living artistic processes capable of transforming the artist’s practice and engaging in dialogue with the surrounding environment. It is precisely this approach that makes Can Serrat a particularly rare and human-centred residency for many artists.
Grant-funded participation
The programme offers one full grant for visual and interdisciplinary artists.
This includes a six-week stay in a private room, meals, and an artist’s fee of approximately €2,000. This is the fully funded option for participating in the residency.
In addition, upon completion of the residency, Can Serrat awards a production grant of approximately €3,000 to support one of the projects created during the programme. The residency also offers a Retorns Grant — the opportunity to return for a further month the following year to continue working on the project.
Alternative participation options
In addition to the full grant, the residency offers around 20 partial grants and self-funded participation options for artists willing to cover part of their living costs. Several options are available:
— shared room — approximately €1,130 per month;
— private room — approximately €1,745 per month;
— studio only — approximately €305 per month, excluding accommodation and meals.
For all selected participants, the programme provides an unlimited travel pass between Barcelona and El Bruc, access to all workspaces and equipment, participation in group meetings and events, studio visits with guest curators, and publication of the project in the residency’s digital archive.
Within Can Serrat there are shared studios, a space for performance and dance, a printmaking workshop, a library, a kitchen and areas for collaborative work. The residency is more focused on process and research than on producing a finished exhibition, so the atmosphere here revolves around dialogue, the exchange of ideas and the shared experience of artistic life.
Why artists choose Can Serrat
For many artists, Can Serrat becomes more than just a residency — it becomes a temporary international artistic community. The programme includes group project discussions, open dinners, collective readings, experimental workshops, one-to-one meetings with artists and shared studio visits.
The organisers deliberately create a space where artists can live alongside one another, discuss ideas, share their doubts and observe the creative processes of other participants. This is precisely why the residency is particularly suited to artists for whom not only a studio and time to work are important, but also the human connections within an international artistic community.
The location of the residency is a distinct advantage. Montserrat offers not only mountain scenery and nature, but also a uniquely unhurried atmosphere, starkly different from the pace of big cities. At the same time, Barcelona can be reached in about 45–50 minutes by bus.
Who should apply
The Open Call programme is aimed at visual and interdisciplinary artists. Projects exploring space, community, language, memory, nature, the body, the local environment and collective processes will be particularly well suited to this call.
That said, the organisers specifically state that they do not expect applications to use complex art-historical language or ‘correct’ phrasing. On the contrary, Can Serrat advises writing simply, clearly and honestly, avoiding formulaic artistic jargon and overly theoretical descriptions.
Applications may be submitted in English, Spanish or Catalan.
How to apply
For participation, you need to prepare:
— an application form;
— a PDF file with materials;
— a project description of up to 500 words;
— an artist statement of up to 200 words;
— a CV;
— images or videos of your work.
The organisers also ask that you include a link to your website, if you have one. A separate part of the application is a short video or a series of images describing the artist’s practice and their future project at Can Serrat.
The residency will run from 3 May to 30 July 2027.
The deadline for applications is 7 June 2026.
