The first few days in a new city are always special: new people, new streets, new buildings, new places and new paths to follow. A completely new view from a new window, different light, exotic scents, and strange noises – all of these new impressions leave their marks. Unknown places can be a great source of inspiration and can create new images – either in our heads or even quite specific ones in form of art. Especially artists can feel a great boost to their creativity in the right surroundings. Ralf Dereich, an artist based in Berlin, is well aware of this fact. The vibrant painter enjoys working in places with an unexplored atmosphere, but untouched places aren’t easy to find (or use) – especially if you’re not looking for an airbnb flat for an in-between stay, but instead need a studio to write, paint, doodle, scream or do anything else really. Hotel rooms or normal apartments just aren’t the ideal place for creative work, are they? So, together with his school friend and marketing expert Melina Volkmann, Ralf decided to start the online platform stusu – a global network for subletting and renting artist’s studios, or, in other words: something like airbnb for artists. Creative minds can advertise or swap their studios sorted by cities and easily find a new and inspiring place to work in a new country, a new city or even just around the corner. That way, the term „artist studio“ shakes off its mythical and eremitic image to become a dynamic place for independent and flexible working. The platform offers an infrastructure from which wonderful art can develop – space, light and vision. After all, art is created by the world. And the world is everywhere. Right?!
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stusu – the first global platform for subletting and renting artist studios