Nicole Frei
Aargauer Kuratorium
2026
Nicole Frei is an educator, costume- and stage designer working at the intersection of design and the performing arts based in Zurich, Switzerland. Her practice explores artistic methods through chronic illness, critically examines production structures, and foregrounds sustainability through traditional craft techniques and material-based processes.
Since 2021, she is part of the MA Transdisciplinary Studies programme at Zurich University of the Arts as a research associate. Her work has been supported by numerous grants, awards, and international residencies. She will be a Residency Fellow at Istituto Svizzero in Milan in 2026–27 and is currently a companion at the THIRD– 3rd Cycle Research Group at the Academy of Theatre and Dance at the Amsterdam University of the Arts (2026-2028). In 2024 she received a supporting grant from the Aargauer Kuratorium, completed a residency at the Rong Design Library through Pro Helvetia Shanghai, and was selected as a finalist for the Swiss Design Awards. Previous support includes a Dis-Tanz-Solo Scholarship from Dachverband Tanz Deutschland as part of Neustart Kultur in 2021, and a Denkzeit Scholarship from the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony in 2020.
She has created costumes and stage environments for theatre and dance productions in Switzerland and abroad, including collaborations with the crip-queer theatre project Criptonite or choreographer Leonie Graf. She holds an MA in Design from the Basel Academy of Art and Design and a BA in Scenography from Zurich University of the Arts.
Aargauer Kuratorium, Switzerland
Aargauer Kuratorium has worked in partnership with Acme to develop and provide a London-based artists' residency since 1999. Based in Bow, E3, the residency enables a wide spectrum of practitioners connected with the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland, to undertake two six month long work/live residencies per year. Artist application and selection are conducted directly by Aargauer Kuratorium.
For further information and application details see ag.ch/kuratorium
