Biksaiņi, Latvia

Why Biksaiņi at all?

Biksaiņi is small, rural, and quiet. That’s the point. You don’t go there for openings or an art fair calendar, you go because you want a stretch of time where nobody needs anything from you and the biggest event in your day might be the light changing over a field.

The main draw is a residency in a 19th-century house surrounded by old oak and apple trees, meadows, forest, and big night skies. Think more “long, focused days in the studio, walks to reset your brain, and serious rest” than “gallery crawl.”

If you’re craving:

• Seclusion and minimal distraction
• Time to reset your nervous system while still working
• Direct contact with landscape and changing weather
• A slower, steady pace for writing, painting, composing, or research

…then Biksaiņi makes sense. If you want a busy network of curators, openings and studio visits, you’ll want to pair a Biksaiņi stay with time in Riga or another Latvian city.

The main residency: Purvitis Kurzeme / “Sila Ziedu”

The residency you’ll actually find in Biksaiņi is often referenced through the name Purvitis Kurzeme and described as the “Sila Ziedu” residence.

Setting and atmosphere

The house is from the 19th century and sits in a natural setting: century-old oaks and apple trees, meadows, forest around, and strong star visibility at night. In practice, that means:

• Very little light pollution
• Quiet nights – probably more animal sounds than human noise
• Good conditions for long walks and outdoor thinking breaks

The language used in public descriptions circles around artists being invited to “stay, create, and renew”, which tells you a lot about the intention: not a production factory, more a retreat for deep work.

Housing and work space

The residency offers:

• Two fully furnished, well-equipped apartments
• Separate entrances for each apartment
• Horizontal, wide views out to the garden and surrounding land

You’re not dealing with dorm-style housing here; it’s more like a self-contained living and working unit. That suits artists who like to:

• Work odd hours without worrying about housemates
• Cook their own meals
• Spread out materials and not tidy up every time someone walks through

What’s less clear from public information is how separate studio space is from living space. It may be a hybrid: apartment plus work area, rather than a big industrial studio. Assume a flexible but not heavy-duty setup unless the residency confirms otherwise.

Who this residency works best for

This Biksaiņi residency tends to suit artists who can self-direct and don’t need specialized infrastructure. It’s especially good for:

• Writers and poets – you get calm, privacy, and your own pace
• Painters and illustrators – natural light and uninterrupted time
• Textile, drawing, or mixed media that doesn’t require large machinery
• Sound / music artists who can work with portable setups and headphones
• Artists in research phases – reading, sketching, mapping out big projects

If your work depends on:

• Metal or wood workshops
• Darkrooms or print shops
• Large-scale fabrication, heavy equipment, or big teams
• Regular public events or built-in networking

…you may find Biksaiņi limiting or need to handle production elsewhere and treat this as a planning, drawing, or post-production period.

What you need to clarify with the host

Public listings don’t fully spell out the practical side. Before you commit, ask the residency directly:

• Duration – typical stay length and flexibility
• Costs – fees, what’s covered, and any hidden expenses
• Funding – stipends, travel support, or if it’s entirely self-funded
• Studios – size, natural light, work surfaces, and whether messy work is allowed
• Internet – reliability and speed if you depend on online work
• Accessibility – stairs, entrances, bathroom setup if mobility is a concern
• Languages – whether the team works in English or mainly Latvian
• Guests – if partners, kids or collaborators can stay and under what conditions

You want a clear picture before you start planning anything site-specific or heavy.

Life on the ground: living, costs, and supplies

Cost of living and budgeting

In a place as small as Biksaiņi, you’re not spending on nightlife or events; your budget will hinge on travel and how self-sufficient you are with food and materials.

Plan for:

• Accommodation – often included in residency fees or support, but confirm
• Food – you’ll likely self-cater, so grocery runs to a nearby town matter
• Transport – can quickly become the most expensive line item if you rely on taxis or private transfers
• Materials – either pack them or buy in a bigger city before arriving
• Contingency – for unexpected rides, hardware store runs, or project changes

If you’re working with bulky or fragile materials, consider splitting your project into two stages: sourcing and building in a better-equipped city, then refining, documenting, writing, or editing in Biksaiņi.

Groceries, errands, and daily rhythm

Don’t assume you can “just pop out” to a supermarket every evening. In many rural Latvian settings you’ll want to:

• Do fewer, larger grocery trips instead of daily shopping
• Stock basics for days when you don’t want to leave the house
• Know the location and hours of the nearest grocery, pharmacy, and ATM

This actually works in your favour if you’re trying to protect studio time. Block out half a day every week or so for errands; keep the rest as uninterrupted work time.

What to bring as an artist

Because the local infrastructure is minimal, you’re better off arriving prepared. Useful items include:

• Core materials you know you’ll use, especially anything specific or unusual
• Portable tools – brushes, drawing materials, sewing tools, basic electronics
• Digital backup – external hard drive or SSD, and cloud storage
• Adapters and power strips for multiple devices
• Comfort gear – layers for temperature swings, good walking shoes, a headlamp for evening walks, earplugs if you’re sound-sensitive

Ask the residency what they already have: tables, easels, basic tools, printers, speakers, etc. Don’t assume, but don’t overpack either if they can supply large basics.

Context: Latvia’s wider art scene around your Biksaiņi stay

Biksaiņi itself won’t give you a full view of Latvian contemporary art. If your practice benefits from dialogue and research, you can anchor your trip with time in one or more of these hubs before or after the residency.

Riga: the main art ecosystem

Riga is where most international artists connect first. A few useful points of reference:

• Kim? Contemporary Art Centre in Riga runs exhibitions and has piloted residency or studio programmes. Past summer residencies have housed artists in a shared apartment in the city and given individual studios in a historic school building called Hanzas 22.
• NOASS Art Centre offers residencies with studio-type apartments right in the city centre, near a park and close to cultural activity. They also run exhibition spaces, including a floating art centre and video screen infrastructure.

Time in Riga can give you:

• Exhibition visits and a sense of local practices
• Connections with curators, writers, and other artists
• Better access to art supplies and printing, framing, or fabrication

Daugavpils and other regional centres

Daugavpils is known for the Rothko Museum, which hosts residencies for artists working in different media. These programmes offer comfortable rooms, historical atmosphere, and a more institutional frame than a rural house.

Another reference point is the ELPA Design and Sustainability Residency in the Latgale region, created after the original Rucka residency space closed. ELPA focuses on sustainability and cross-disciplinary work in a natural setting, similar in spirit to Biksaiņi but with its own concept and community.

While these aren’t in Biksaiņi, they show how artists often combine rural time with city or institutional time in Latvia. You can think in terms of a constellation of stays instead of a single isolated residency.

Getting there, visas, and timing

How to reach Biksaiņi

Logistically, your path will usually be:

• Travel to Riga, the main international entry point
• Continue by regional bus, train, or car toward the nearest town to Biksaiņi
• Cover the last stretch by car, taxi, or pickup arranged with the residency

Before your trip, ask the residency:

• The nearest train or bus station
• Approximate travel time from Riga
• If they can pick you up or recommend trusted drivers
• Winter road conditions if you’re going in colder months

If you don’t drive, clarify how realistic it is to rely on public transport plus occasional taxis. If you do drive, check parking options and whether a car is useful or just an extra expense.

Visa basics

Latvia is part of the Schengen Area, so your visa needs will depend on your passport and length of stay.

• EU/EEA/Schengen citizens generally don’t need a visa for short stays; standard ID and residency rules apply.
• Non-EU citizens may need a Schengen short-stay visa for visits up to 90 days in any 180-day period, or a national visa / residence permit for longer or more specific arrangements.

Where the residency matters:

• They can sometimes provide an invitation letter for your visa application.
• Any fees or stipends might affect which visa category is appropriate.

Always check the latest visa information from Latvian consular services in your country, and confirm that the residency’s dates, support, and paperwork match what you need.

When to go

Season changes your experience quite a lot in a rural, nature-focused residency.

• Late spring to early autumn usually offers longer days, milder temperatures, and easier outdoor work or walks. Good if you like working with natural light or sketching outside.
• Winter can mean short days, snow and ice, and a more intense sense of isolation. For some practices – writing, sound, introspective drawing or research – that can be ideal, as long as you’re ready for it.

Because some residencies run on rolling applications and others on specific calls, ask directly how they schedule: rolling, fixed sessions, or project-based invitations.

How to decide if Biksaiņi is right for your practice

Questions to ask yourself

Use these prompts to sanity-check the match:

• What phase of a project am I in? If you’re in planning, writing, editing, or finishing mode, Biksaiņi can be ideal. If you’re in heavy production mode, it might be better as a preliminary or follow-up stage.
• How much social contact do I need? If you recharge alone and enjoy long stretches of quiet, great. If you rely on nightly social contact to stay grounded, you may want to shorten your stay or build in trips to Riga.
• Can my practice shrink down to an apartment and nearby nature? If your work can be portable and doesn’t need a full workshop, you’re in a good position.
• What do I want to leave with? A finished manuscript? A series of drawings? A clear project plan? Make that expectation explicit so you use the time intentionally.

What to ask the residency before you apply

To avoid surprises, get clarity on:

• Structure – Is there any programming, or is it entirely self-directed?
• Community – How many residents at a time? Are there local artists or neighbours involved?
• Presentation – Are open studios or small showings possible, or is it fully private?
• Documentation – Do they expect reports or specific outcomes?
• Support – Who do you call if something breaks or you get sick?

A clear email exchange up front usually saves you from frustration once you’re there.

How Biksaiņi can fit into a bigger plan

You don’t have to treat Biksaiņi as a standalone adventure. You can frame it inside a wider Latvia research or production plan:

• Start with a week or two in Riga to meet people, visit spaces like Kim? or NOASS, source materials, and adjust to the country.
• Spend your intensive studio time in Biksaiņi, focused on making or writing.
• Return to Riga or another city to process, share work in conversations, and maybe set up informal studio visits with what you created.

Used this way, Biksaiņi becomes a quiet anchor inside a more connected trip, giving you both solitude and context.