About PAiR, an Artist Residency by the Baltic Sea

WHERE IDEAS

MEET NATURE

PAiR is a residency for inventive encounters — a space where artists, researchers, and curators from diverse disciplines come together to reflect, create, and connect. It offers a peaceful, distraction-free environment in which ideas are allowed to evolve and grow.

Founded and managed by the VV Foundation, PAiR was established to support interdisciplinary artistic processes and to help contemporary art thrive in both intimate and public forms.

Two yellow armchairs face a wooden coffee table in front of a tall bookshelf filled with books, with a vase of dried grass and a blue glass lamp on the table.

A round wooden dining table with mixed chairs sits in a cozy room, with a large potted plant, a red cabinet, and a tall vase of dried grasses behind it.

A small room with a wooden desk, chair, and lounge chair beside a window with gray curtains and a black radiator, with sunlight on the hardwood floor.

A dining table with two wooden chairs sits by a large window, with a small vase of flowers and a blue playground structure visible outside.

An empty dark room with white walls, a glass door, and sunlight casting rectangular shadows across the floor and wall.

A rustic bedroom with a bed covered in a blue quilt and folded towels at the foot, beside a window with gray curtains and a sunlit wooden floor.

A tall white shelving unit with open compartments and lower cabinets stands beside a green upholstered chair, with a small side table, lamp, and desk in a bright room with wood flooring.

A man in a cap sits at a desk by an open wooden window, working amid papers and tools with green trees visible outside.

A narrow bedroom with a wooden floor and exposed ceiling beams, showing a bed on the left, a desk and chair on the right, and a window at the far end.

Photographs by Sintija Gadiga

WHERE IDEAS

MEET NATURE

Located on Latvia’s rugged west coast, PAiR invites a dialogue between the local and the global, tradition and experimentation, solitude and exchange. By hosting artists in a setting shaped by both history and natural beauty, PAiR fosters new meanings and creative transformations.
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Founded and managed by the VV Foundation, PAiR was established to support interdisciplinary artistic processes and to help contemporary art thrive in both intimate and public forms.

Photographs by Sintija Gadiga

Application and Review Process

The residencies are by closed invitation only, while also maintaining a yearly open call for those from the Baltic region. The selected residents are introduced to each other via a closed on-line seminar. Each resident will overlap with the following in order to provide the opportunity for exchange and possible collaboration. Each yearly cycle will be thematically curated and will close with an annual summer festival where each resident will do a public presentation in whatever form feels appropriate.

Applications are processed by the team of the VV Foundation in collaboration with curator Krist Gruijthuijsen and international advisory board.

LIFE AT

PAIR

The residency is located in a fully renovated wooden house from 1901, restored by the VV Foundation in 2021. It stands in the heart of Pāvilosta, surrounded by linden trees and the calm presence of nature.

Each resident receives a private bedroom with a bathroom, access to two well-lit artist studios, a salon-like library space, and a weaving studio where local artisans work. The house also features a fully equipped shared kitchen and a warm, communal dining area — a place for slow meals, long conversations, and spontaneous ideas.

Art is woven into the very fabric of the house. A public artwork by Katja Novitskova adorns the north façade, and the interior is filled with a curated collection of paintings, photographs, and installations by Baltic contemporary artists, gathered by the VV Foundation.

The PAiR Library

Curated by PAiR’s founders, Vita Liberte and Vilnis Štrams, the library contains a growing collection of books on contemporary art, theory, and philosophy — in English, Latvian, Russian, and other languages. Residents are encouraged to browse, study, and draw inspiration from the collection, which reflects the interdisciplinary spirit of PAiR.

HOW WE

support residents

We believe a good residency should remove obstacles, not create them.

At PAiR, we cover travel costs to and from Pāvilosta and offer hands-on practical support throughout your stay. Need a specific material? Assistance sourcing tools? Local recommendations? We’re here for it.

To help shape and strengthen your ideas, we also provide curatorial feedback, encourage peer exchange, and support a healthy rhythm between deep solo work and collaborative moments.

For current open calls and application info, check our Open Call page or email us.

The garden

Our garden is more than just a green space — it’s a collaborative, living project that embodies care, seasonality, and quiet joy. Residents can take part in gardening activities, learn about local plant traditions, and even nurture a plant of their own in the shared greenhouse.

This space also opens a door to mutual learning with the local community, who are invited to share gardening knowledge and join in on seasonal cultivation.

Photographs by Sintija Gadiga

Pāvilosta: History and Stillness

Pāvilosta is a small town with a big story. Once a shipping port supporting Latvia’s naval base, it has survived wars and occupations to become a quiet haven of historical wooden architecture and creative spirit.Today, it attracts those in search of peace — artists, writers, thinkers, and surfers alike — and offers the kind of focused solitude that big cities rarely provide.
Long-time locals and newcomers coexist in a natural rhythm of cultural exchange, where old traditions find a new life in contemporary practices.

“The combination of a charming small town and stunning nature creates a perfect environment for creation and reflection.”

Miķelis Putniņš

past resident

Surrounded by Nature

Just outside your door, you’ll find the expansive Grey Dunes, the Baltic Sea, and quiet pine forests. These landscapes — ever-changing and beautifully raw — are an essential part of the PAiR experience.Borrow one of our bikes to explore the area’s manors, churches, lighthouses, and local landmarks, or take to the woods for foraging in summer and autumn. Berries, mushrooms, and healing herbs used in local traditions are all part of what the land offers.

“Grey dunes, huddled pine trees, rumbling wind, a cosy room. PAiR gave me the perfect opportunity to escape my everyday concerns and start a new art project.”

Anna Salmane

past resident

ABOUT THE RESIDENCY

Apply for Residency

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