SÍM Residency 2027

The SÍM Residency is an international, nonprofit residency program in Reykjavík, Iceland, for contemporary artists and cultural practitioners, run by SÍM – The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists. It is one of the Nordic region's most established artist residency programmes, welcoming around 200 artists and cultural practitioners from around the world each year.

The residency offers artists a sustainable working and living environment that fosters reflection, experimentation, and creative collaboration. Participants have access to private and shared studios and opportunities for public presentations within a flexible residency environment that supports diverse artistic practices and research interests.​
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Artists may apply for residency stays of one to three months. The residency programme includes:

• Accommodation and studio facilities
• Orientation and introduction meeting
• Artist presentation on the SÍM Residency website and social media channels
• Opportunities for public presentations and artist talks
• Time and space for artistic research, development and production

Application deadline: August 31st 2026. Application information:

• All applicants must complete the application form; only fully completed applications will be reviewed. Applications sent via email will not be accepted. It is highly recommended to use the Google Chrome browser to fill out the form to avoid issues.
• In the application form, all applicants are asked to present a CV with education, latest activities, and, if completed/received – residency programs, a list of grants.
• For an art project/research, we expect to receive a self-directed creative project proposal. The organsiers want all artists/researchers to feel free with proposals, as they are open to all ideas and forms. In the proposal, they seek to understand how artists plan to use the granted residency period, their research fields, possible outcomes, and why artists, in particular, need to join their residency program.
• As visual examples, the organisers would be pleased to see three images attached to the form. Images that would represent artists’ art form, a medium that will be closely connected to the proposed project.
• If you are applying as a co-artist duo or a group and working together on the same project, choose one of your leading members as the primary contact name, and in the Notes, add all other co-artists names and websites.
• When completing the application, you should receive an email from the application form as confirmation. (double check your spam folder, as quite often it ends there)
   

Fees: Artists are required to pay the residency programme fee of 50.000 ISK kr and an accommodation fee starting at 140.000 ISK. In addition, artists are responsible for their own travel, insurance, and living expenses. SÍM Residency does not have a dedicated funding body and, unfortunately, cannot offer scholarships or stipends. Therefore, they strongly recommend that artists seek funding opportunities in their home countries, as most Icelandic funding schemes are primarily intended for Icelandic artists or projects.
All selected artists receive an official letter confirming their participation in the residency program, which may support their applications for external funding to cover the cost of their stay.