Purpose
SCHLESIEN – Earth Unearth Artist Retreat provides artists with dedicated time and space to work on their creative projects in a restful and inspiring environment close to nature. It offers artists the opportunity to pursue their range of expression, experiment, and develop projects without the constraints of a specific theme or program. The artist retreat aims to cultivate creativity and provide a change of scenery, allowing for new perspectives and connections to naturally arise in the artist's work. It is open to creative practitioners at any stage of their practice and does not have any specific requirements, providing artists with the freedom to explore their artistic development.
Self-Directed Artist Residency – In Namibia
At SCHLESIEN—Earth Unearth Artist Retreat, we offer self-directed and flexible residencies with a minimum stay of one week, and the option for more extended stays. These residencies are not merely about time but about space — a space to retreat from the familiar, to be guided by the elemental rhythm of the desert. Artists are provided with accommodation and a studio. Still, most importantly, they are given the rare gift of solitude, of uninterrupted time to let their creative impulses rise and reveal themselves naturally.
Inspiration from the Land
The land itself is both muse and medium. At Schlesien, artists find a landscape that invites the creation of expansive land art and sculpture installations. The earth is alive with textures, raw stones, and geological treasures, all waiting to be discovered and transformed. In the silence of the desert, artists are encouraged to let go – to surrender to the inspiration that emerges from the untouched beauty of the surroundings. Our scrap yard, where decades of history accumulate in metal, offers the chance to breathe new life into discarded pieces, reshaping them into artistic works that speak of the land’s story and spirit.
Whether you seek inspiration, stillness, or time to deepen your artistic practice, SCHLESIEN – Earth Unearth Artist Retreat invites you to the world’s oldest desert – a return to the origins of creativity, where the landscape and your essence merge into one, revealing endless possibilities for growth, exploration, and the art of simply being.
The Residency, at a glance
Artists in residence are housed in the Klip Huis — a place shaped for both living and making.
The open-plan structure allows work and daily life to exist alongside one another, with access to a dedicated art studio and uninterrupted views across the surrounding desert.
Accommodation & Studio
Open Calls are open on an ongoing basis.The residency accepts submissions throughout the year. Applications are reviewed periodically and considered in relation to availability, seasonal suitability, and alignment with the ethos of the residency.
This approach allows artists to apply when the timing is right for their practice, rather than in response to external schedules.
Here you will find detailed information on the application process, selection approach, and practical considerations, allowing you to apply with clarity and intention.
Open CallsPast Artist in Residence
Each residency period is shaped by the artist’s approach, materials, and engagement with the land, resulting in work that reflects both individual practice and shared context.
This section presents past artists in residence and their projects, offering a sense of how the residency has been used rather than prescribing how it should be.
The residency is offered through an application process.
Artists are invited to apply with a short proposal that reflects their practice, interests, and relationship to landscape or material. Selection is based on alignment rather than achievement, with attention given to intention, curiosity, and readiness for an extended period of independent work.
The Application