Sigriswil, Switzerland

Why artists go to Sigriswil

Sigriswil is a small village above Lake Thun in the Bernese Oberland, looking straight across at the Niesen mountain. The place itself is the main “infrastructure” here: big views, strong winter light, and a lot of quiet.

Artists don’t come to Sigriswil for a row of galleries or a busy art market. You come for:

• Landscape and light: lake, mountains, fog, snow, and rapid shifts in weather. Perfect if your work is sensitive to atmosphere or environment.
• Concentration: it is calm and relatively remote, which makes it easier to stay with a project for long stretches.
• A residency-centered micro-scene: your main community is whoever is in residence with you, plus the local organizers and curious neighbors.
• Art history in the region: the wider Bernese Oberland has attracted artists like Paul Klee, Ferdinand Hodler, and Cuno Amiet. You are working in a landscape that has already passed through many artists’ eyes.

If you want a small, winter-focused residency with built-in peer exchange, Sigriswil is essentially a one-program town, and that’s exactly its strength.

P.AiR.S – Paradiesli Artists in Residence Sigriswil

P.AiR.S (Paradiesli Artists in Residence Sigriswil) is the key artist residency here and the reason most artists base themselves in Sigriswil.

Program snapshot

The residency is hosted at Gästehaus Paradiesli, a guesthouse adapted for artists instead of tourists. The concept was set up by the cultural association behind Paradiesli and is run with a clear structure:

• Season: designed as a winter residency, with two sessions each season.
• Duration: artists are invited for two blocks of 7 weeks during the winter months.
• Scale: small cohort, typically framed as 2 × 3 artists. Intimate, but still enough range for different voices.
• Selection: jury-based, with a four-person jury choosing the participants from international applicants.

The aim is to counteract isolation while still giving you serious working time. You share the house, not a constantly programmed schedule.

Disciplines and working style

P.AiR.S welcomes several disciplines, especially where focused studio or desk work fits a guesthouse setting:

• Literature and writing
• Drawing
• Photography
• Film and video (lighter production, editing, and concept work work best)

The residency notes that activity has to match the premises. Large, messy, noisy, or highly industrial processes can be difficult. If your practice needs welding, heavy woodwork, or large spray setups, you should discuss feasibility with the organizers well before applying.

Career-wise, the program tends to suit artists who:

• are emerging or mid-career, and
• know how to self-direct and benefit from peer critique.

There is no hand-holding structure here. It works best if you are ready to keep your project moving and engage actively in conversation.

Community, critique, and the “trace”

The concept of P.AiR.S is built around three ideas: shared living, sustained work time, and creative exchange.

• Shared retreat: you live alongside a small group of artists, share kitchen and house life, and often end up talking process over meals.
• Creative exchange: you are encouraged to bring your process into the shared space, not just your finished work. Expect informal studio visits, conversations in the living room, and occasional crit-style sessions.
• “Trace” at the end: each artist is asked to leave an artistic trace of their stay. This can be a work, a piece of writing, a performance, documentation, or another form you propose.

There is usually some form of public engagement at the end of the residency period. This might be a small exhibition, an open presentation, or an event that shares your work with visitors and locals.

Collaborations and context

The residency is connected to the Kulturförderverein Paradiesli (Paradiesli Cultural Promotion Association) and collaborates with Galerie Eulenspiegel in Basel. That link is useful because it connects a small rural residency back into the Swiss art circuit.

For applications, program details, and current conditions, start directly with the official site at pairs.ch. You can also find listings and summaries on platforms such as Reviewed by Artists at reviewedbyartists.com and opportunity aggregators like Artinfoland.

Living and working in Sigriswil as an artist

Sigriswil is small, so the question is less “which neighborhood” and more “how do you want to live here for several weeks in winter?” The residency solves most housing questions, but it helps to understand what your day-to-day might look like.

Housing and live/work setup

At P.AiR.S, accommodation is part of the program. Artists typically:

• live in Gästehaus Paradiesli, and
• work either in their rooms, in shared spaces, or in dedicated studio areas, depending on the configuration for that session.

This live/work model is great if your practice can compress into flexible spaces: laptops, cameras, drawing tools, notebooks, small-scale installations. If you need a defined, lockable studio with heavy equipment, this residency will require some adaptation on your side.

If you ever decide to stay outside the residency itself (before or after), the most practical bases nearby are:

• Sigriswil village: maximum quiet and direct access to the residency area.
• Gunten or Oberhofen am Thunersee: lakeside villages with good access to Lake Thun and regional transport.
• Thun: small city, more services and shops, easy transit connections.

Cost of living and budgeting

Sigriswil is in Switzerland, so costs are high compared with many other residency destinations. Even if accommodation is covered, plan realistically for:

• Food: groceries are expensive; cooking at home is usually much cheaper than eating out.
• Dining out: treat cafés and restaurants as an occasional treat unless you have a strong budget.
• Local transport: trains and buses are reliable and well-organized, but ticket prices add up.
• Materials: art materials, printing, and tech gear cost more than in many other countries. Decide what to pack and what to buy locally.

Every call for P.AiR.S may structure finances slightly differently. Before you commit, check:

• whether accommodation is fully covered,
• if there is any stipend or per diem,
• whether travel costs are supported or self-funded,
• if there is a materials budget or separate support for production,
• who covers health and travel insurance.

Make a simple budget in advance: travel, food, local transport, materials, and a buffer for unexpected costs. If you are coming from abroad, confirm any funding from your own country or region that can support international residencies.

Working conditions and practice fit

This residency setup favors practices that can thrive in a shared, flexible environment. It is a strong fit if you:

• work with text, drawing, photography, editing, or conceptual development,
• are ready to talk through your work regularly with peers,
• don’t need constant access to specialized equipment or fabrication shops.

It can be challenging if you:

• need large industrial or very messy studio space,
• depend on daily access to labs, kilns, or heavy machinery,
• are looking for a busy urban scene with events every night.

The house and surroundings are quiet. This is a place to go deep into work, not to chase openings every evening.

Art scene, connections, and how to use Sigriswil strategically

Sigriswil itself has a limited art infrastructure. That’s actually part of why the residency model works here: the focus is on the cohort, the hosts, and a handful of public events.

The micro-scene around the residency

Think of Sigriswil as having a residency-centered micro-scene:

• Other residents are your primary peer group. These are the people you will likely stay in touch with for years.
• Local curiosity is real. Villagers may show up to presentations, ask about your work, or engage with you in small ways.
• Public outcomes like final exhibitions or presentations create a moment of visibility and feedback.

This can be a good environment to test new directions, refine a body of work, or produce a focused project in dialogue with a small group rather than a big public.

Connecting to Thun, Bern, and Basel

For exhibitions, studio visits, or broader networking, artists in Sigriswil look outward:

• Thun: the closest city with cultural venues, galleries, and events. Good for day trips, errands, and occasional art outings.
• Bern: the canton capital with museums, galleries, and artist-run spaces. Useful for connecting to a wider scene, booking studio visits, or meeting curators.
• Basel: more distant but key in the Swiss art ecosystem. The residency’s collaboration with Galerie Eulenspiegel anchors a potential link here.

A useful strategy is to build your residency proposal so that the Sigriswil period is one focused phase of a larger project. For example:

• Use the residency to produce a body of work or research material in the landscape.
• Plan follow-up meetings or presentations in Thun or Bern immediately after.
• Connect with spaces or curators in Basel through the residency’s network.

This way, Sigriswil is not an isolated retreat but a concentrated chapter in a longer project trajectory.

Events, open studios, and visibility

Sigriswil does not have a large, recurring open-studios scene. Public-facing activity is usually tied directly to P.AiR.S:

• Final presentations or exhibitions at the end of the residency block.
• The requirement to leave a trace, which might be shown physically, documented, or shared in some other form.

This setup can be especially useful if you want a defined end point: a small but clear presentation, audience feedback, and material you can then show elsewhere.

Getting there, visas, and practical logistics

Before you apply or accept a spot, it helps to map out how you would actually get to Sigriswil and stay legally and comfortably for the full duration.

Transport and access

The usual route is:

• Arrive in Switzerland by air or long-distance train.
• Travel to Thun by train.
• Continue by regional bus or car up to Sigriswil.

Internationally, common entry points are:

• Zurich Airport: main international hub, good train connections nationwide.
• Basel: another option with strong rail access.
• Bern: smaller airport with limited flights but closer geographically.

During winter, keep in mind:

• Weather can affect walking conditions and sometimes slow transit, though Swiss services are generally reliable.
• Strong shoes and layered clothing are essential if you plan to explore the surroundings on foot.
• If you bring bulky equipment, discuss unloading and storage options with the residency team beforehand.

Visas and legal stay

Visa and entry rules depend on your nationality, your total stay in the Schengen area, and how the residency is structured financially. Some general pointers:

• Many artists can stay up to 90 days in Schengen without a visa if their nationality is visa-exempt for short stays, but that does not automatically cover all work-related situations.
• If the residency includes a stipend, fee, or formal work status, requirements may differ compared with a self-funded short stay.
• The residency can often provide key documents: invitation letters, proof of accommodation, and program descriptions.

Before you commit, check:

• the official site of the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration,
• the Swiss consulate or embassy in your country,
• what P.AiR.S can provide in terms of documentation.

Build visa lead time into your planning, especially if you are from outside the Schengen area or if your stay is part of a longer European tour.

Season and timing

P.AiR.S defines itself as a winter residency. The cold season, shorter days, and specific quality of light are part of the concept. That has a few practical effects:

• Outdoor work is possible but weather-dependent; good for photography, sound gathering, and research walks.
• The quietness of the off-season helps concentration but also means less tourist infrastructure and fewer distractions.
• Travel can be a bit more complex if you are not used to winter conditions, but local systems are built for it.

Application windows change over time, so check directly at pairs.ch for current calls. Plan to assemble your materials, portfolio, and project proposal well ahead of the usual winter periods.

How to decide if Sigriswil is right for you

Treat Sigriswil and P.AiR.S as a specific tool, not a generic residency. It is a strong match if you:

• want quiet, winter-focused work time in a striking landscape,
• value small-group dialogue and critique,
• work in literature, drawing, photography, or film/video, or similar practices that adapt to flexible live/work spaces,
• are comfortable living in a small village with limited nightlife and cultural events on your doorstep,
• like the idea of a defined public outcome or “trace” at the end of your stay.

It will be less ideal if you:

• need a large industrial studio or specialized equipment every day,
• are looking for constant gallery openings and parties,
• prefer residencies with no expectation of public sharing or communal life.

If the description fits the kind of project you want to push forward, Sigriswil can be a powerful setting: a winter house above the lake, a small group of serious artists, and enough structure to keep you accountable to the work you really want to make.