Artist Residencies in Laugarvatn

Why artists choose Laugarvatn

Laugarvatn is a small village in South Iceland, set on a geothermal lake in the Golden Circle area. You get big sky, changing light, and wide views, not a dense city grid. For artists, it works less like a classic "city" and more like a focused work retreat with occasional access to Reykjavík.

The draw is simple: quiet, landscape, and enough infrastructure to live and work comfortably. You’re near some of Iceland’s most visited natural sites, but your day-to-day can stay slow and studio-centered.

Laugarvatn tends to suit artists who want:

Isolation and focus – Small population, limited distractions, long stretches of uninterrupted time.
Landscape as collaborator – Lake, geothermal activity, changing weather, and views towards mountains like Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull.
A simple, residential residency model – A home base and studio, not a heavily programmed institution.
Access to South Iceland – Within reach of Reykjavík, yet still feeling rural and remote.

If you need nightlife, frequent openings, or a large peer scene right outside the door, Laugarvatn will likely feel too quiet. If you want a working retreat and a strong sense of place, it can be ideal.

Gullkistan Center for Creativity

The main reason artists go to Laugarvatn is Gullkistan, Center for Creativity, an artist-run residency for creative people, artists, and scholars.

You can learn more directly from their site: https://gullkistan.is

What Gullkistan offers

Gullkistan is set up as a flexible, low-drama place to work. It welcomes individuals, families, and groups year-round, and supports many disciplines: visual arts, writing, research, interdisciplinary practices, and more.

Core features:

Artist-run and self-directed – No rigid program schedule; you shape your own time.
Open to many disciplines – Artists, writers, designers, scholars, and other creative practitioners.
Year-round residency – You choose the season that matches your project.
Family-friendly – They welcome families and try to arrange separate housing when needed.
Modern facilities – Fully equipped housing, washing facilities, and Wi‑Fi.

Accommodation and studio setups

Gullkistan has two main buildings for residents:

The Cabin
- A large cabin with 4 bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and living room.
- Works well for small groups, pairs of artists, or artists traveling with family.
- Comfortable, domestic setup that keeps living and working close together.
The Studio
- Includes 2 bedrooms, bathrooms, a big kitchen, and studio spaces.
- Mix of single and double bedrooms.
- Shared workspace atmosphere that can create a tight, informal community of residents.

Both houses are described as fully equipped with modern facilities, washing room, and Wi‑Fi. The view is wide and open, with the lake in front and mountains in the distance. The residency encourages mutual activities among residents but keeps the approach hands-off, so you can choose your level of social involvement.

Who Gullkistan is good for

This residency tends to suit artists who:

Want a quiet, nature-centered retreat with minimal formal structure.
Are working on writing, drawing, sound, research, or conceptual projects that don’t require heavy technical facilities.
Prefer to set their own schedule rather than follow a strict program.
Need a place that can accommodate families, partners, or small groups.

It’s not built as a high-pressure production residency with constant critique or professional development events. Think “clean slate and focus” more than “intense networking.” A Hyperallergic feature called Gullkistan a kind of reset button, and that description fits the overall vibe.

The art scene in and around Laugarvatn

Local context

Laugarvatn is not a gallery district and doesn’t pretend to be. You’re looking at a village with a handful of services: a pool, a spa, a restaurant or two, a small café, a gas station with essentials, and housing scattered around the lake. The art scene on the ground is essentially residency-centric.

That means:

Your main peer group will be fellow residents at Gullkistan.
“Events” usually mean informal studio visits, shared dinners, or small showings among residents.
Public-facing exhibitions are occasional rather than constant.

For many artists, this is a plus. The energy is directed toward practice instead of programming.

Reykjavík and regional connections

To plug into a larger scene, you’ll probably make trips to Reykjavík or other towns. Reykjavík holds Iceland’s main museums, galleries, and artist-run spaces, plus the commercial art market and a denser network of practitioners.

Typical patterns during a Laugarvatn stay:

Short trips to Reykjavík to see exhibitions, meet curators or peers, or stock up on materials.
Fieldwork trips in South Iceland for artists working with landscape, ecology, geology, or local narratives.
Follow-up residencies in other Icelandic towns to experience different rural contexts.

If you want continuous gallery-going, basing yourself in Reykjavík and visiting Laugarvatn occasionally might make more sense. If your priority is work time with occasional forays into a bigger scene, Laugarvatn itself is a good core base.

Practical life: cost of living, food, and supplies

Budgeting for a stay

Iceland is generally expensive, and Laugarvatn follows that pattern. Even if your residency covers housing, you’ll want to budget carefully for:

Food and groceries – Prices are typically higher than many parts of Europe or North America.
Transportation – Car rental, fuel, or bus costs add up, especially if you plan frequent trips.
Materials – Anything beyond basic supplies can be pricey or hard to source locally.
Flights – International travel to and from Iceland can be a significant part of your cost.

A common strategy is to do a big grocery and materials shop in Reykjavík, Selfoss, or another larger town before settling into work in Laugarvatn. Local options exist but are limited and often more expensive per item.

Day-to-day rhythm

The pace in Laugarvatn is slow and practical. Expect:

Regular studio time broken up by walks around the lake or nearby hills.
Occasional visits to the local pool or spa as a reset from the studio.
Shared meals and conversations with other residents, especially if you’re in a group setup like The Cabin or The Studio.

If your practice relies heavily on specialized tools (for example, large-format printmaking presses, metal workshops, or advanced digital fabrication), plan ahead. Gullkistan provides studio and working space but is not a full industrial workshop. Some artists bring compact, portable setups or structure projects around drawing, writing, photography, sound, or digital work that can be done with minimal infrastructure.

Where artists stay and work

Laugarvatn “neighborhoods”

Laugarvatn is small enough that neighborhoods don’t function like in a big city. What matters is proximity to:

The lake – Most residency housing and key services cluster near the water.
The main road – For bus pickups, cars, and trips out of town.
The residency property – Your housing and studio will shape your daily routine more than anything else.

If you are not staying at Gullkistan, you might find short-term rentals or guesthouses around the lake, but for most artists, the residency is both the home base and the studio solution.

Studios and art spaces

Within Laugarvatn, the core creative infrastructure is Gullkistan’s housing and studios. You can expect:

Shared and private spaces for working, depending on your booked room.
Basic studio furnishings for drawing, writing, laptop work, and small-scale making.
Opportunities for informal critique or conversation with other residents rather than formalized programming.

For galleries, artist-run spaces, and institutional studios (like specialized print shops or ceramic facilities), you’re looking outward toward Reykjavík and other Icelandic towns. Many artists treat this as a two-part structure: make work quietly in Laugarvatn, then present or network elsewhere.

Getting there and getting around

Reaching Laugarvatn

International arrivals typically land at Keflavík International Airport, then travel to Reykjavík before continuing by road to Laugarvatn.

Common routes:

Airport → Reykjavík by bus, taxi, or rental car.
Reykjavík → Laugarvatn by rental car or bus, depending on the season and schedule.

Laugarvatn sits along a key route in South Iceland, so it’s reachable year-round, but winter weather can make road conditions more demanding.

Do you need a car?

A car is not absolutely mandatory, but it makes a huge difference. With a car, you can:

Do bigger grocery runs in larger towns.
Take day trips to natural sites for research or photography.
Visit Reykjavík for exhibitions and materials on your own schedule.

Without a car, you are more dependent on bus timetables or rides from other residents. Some artists prefer that constraint because it limits distractions and keeps them grounded in the studio. Others find it restrictive. If your project depends on frequent fieldwork, a car is usually worth the cost.

Visas and legal basics

Schengen and length of stay

Iceland is part of the Schengen Area. That matters for non-EU/EEA artists, who often enter on a Schengen short-stay basis. Key points to pay attention to:

90 days in any 180-day period – Many nationalities can stay in the Schengen Area up to this limit without a separate long-stay visa.
The residency may provide an invitation letter or confirmation for visa applications, but you still handle the legal process yourself.

Always check current rules for your passport nationality and planned length of stay. If you need a long-stay or national visa, start early and coordinate with the residency so documentation lines up.

Work and selling art

Artist residencies typically support creative work but do not automatically give permission to work for pay in Iceland. If you plan to:

Teach workshops to locals,
Take paid commissions,
Sell work locally as a business,

you should verify the legal situation with Icelandic immigration authorities and the residency. Many artists keep financial transactions online or in their home country to keep things simple during a short stay.

Seasonal differences: when to be in Laugarvatn

Summer

Summer brings long days and easier travel. For many artists, it is the most practical time to be in Laugarvatn:

Extended daylight supports long working hours and outdoor research.
Road conditions are generally easier for trips around South Iceland.
Tourism peaks in the region, which can mean more visitors, but Laugarvatn itself still feels quiet compared to larger hubs.

Projects focused on photography, walking, mapping, and outdoor installation tend to thrive in this season.

Autumn

Autumn can be a strong choice if you want slightly fewer tourists and more dramatic shifts in light and weather:

Color changes in vegetation and a lower sun angle can enrich landscape-based work.
The atmosphere in the village becomes calmer compared to midsummer.
Conditions are generally still manageable for driving and field trips, depending on the month.

Winter

Winter is for artists who want quiet and don’t mind logistics:

Short daylight hours push work into a more introspective and studio-heavy mode.
Snow and storms can limit movement, so you need flexibility and good planning.
The sense of isolation is stronger, which some artists find creatively powerful.

Winter can also offer intense experiences of darkness, weather, and, when conditions are right, northern lights. If your work engages with extreme climate, perception, or time, this period can be very rich. Just plan your travel days with extra buffer in case of disruptions.

Community, open studios, and social life

Local creative community

Laugarvatn itself has a small local community, and the most active creative micro-community at any given time is usually the current group of residents at Gullkistan. You’re likely to encounter:

Visual artists working across drawing, painting, installation, photography, video, and more.
Writers, poets, or scholars using the space for research and drafting.
Interdisciplinary practitioners testing ideas that sit between art, design, ecology, and social practice.

The social tone is typically low-key: shared kitchens, shared walks, and shared problem-solving around projects or logistics.

Open studios and events

Instead of a fixed public art calendar, events tend to be residency-driven:

Informal open studios for fellow residents or local visitors.
Group dinners where work-in-progress gets discussed around a table.
Occasional small showings arranged by the residency or by residents themselves.

If you want a more structured event schedule, you can plan your own: set a date for a studio tour, propose a critique evening with other residents, or schedule a short artist talk. For larger-scale networking and public-facing exhibitions, trips to Reykjavík or collaborations with other institutions will carry more weight.

Who Laugarvatn residencies suit (and who they don’t)

Good fit

Laugarvatn generally works well if you are:

A visual artist who needs uninterrupted making time.
A writer or researcher working on a long-form or concept-heavy project.
An interdisciplinary artist wanting to experiment in a quiet, low-pressure setting.
An artist traveling with family or a partner and needing a residency that can accommodate that.
Someone who values landscape, stillness, and self-directed work over constant events.

Less ideal fit

You may want to look elsewhere or combine Laugarvatn with another city if you:

Need a dense gallery ecosystem with daily openings and a big local audience.
Are seeking an intense social scene or nightlife as part of your residency.
Rely on heavy technical facilities that aren’t portable or available regionally.
Want structured, institution-led professional development built into the program.

In that case, Reykjavík-based residencies or other Icelandic towns with stronger local arts infrastructure might align better, with Laugarvatn as a short retreat rather than a primary base.

Using Laugarvatn strategically in your practice

Think of Laugarvatn as a tool. It is especially useful when you need:

A defined period to reset your practice and work without constant external input.
A place to generate material (writing, drawings, scores, field recordings, tests) that you will refine later.
A context where landscape and weather can feed into your ideas, visually or conceptually.
Time to reflect on larger projects, restructure portfolios, or prepare applications and proposals.

Pairing a Laugarvatn residency with a more urban residency elsewhere can be especially effective: start in Laugarvatn to generate and experiment, then move to a city to show, connect, and refine. Used that way, this small lake village becomes a quiet but powerful anchor in your larger practice.