Land Art Festival Grindelwald

When art and nature come together, the result is not just art placed in the landscape, but art that grows out of it. This is exactly the concept behind the Land Art Festival Grindelwald. Each year, at the beginning of summer, the forest above the Swiss village is transformed into an unique creative space. Twelve teams of artists create works inspired by the surrounding landscape and its natural conditions.

The intention is to have no set theme. Instead, the tone is set by the landscape itself: stone, wood, branches, moss and terrain, as well as weather — everything the alpine environment has to offer. Artists use only simple hand tools and natural materials – nails, screws and wire are not permitted.  The result is art that responds to its surroundings, blending into the landscape, and ultimately returning to the natural cycle from which it originated.

Looking back at the 2026 edition

The 2026 edition demonstrated the diversity of Land Art in Grindelwald. Eleven teams of artists from Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Mongolia created their own interpretations of art in and with nature along the "Im Brendli" hiking trail.

The participating artists were Inge Lager and Brigitta Backhaus (DE), Jean-Louis Müller and Julie Verschelde (BE), Mark Antony and Rebecca Ford (UK), Sally Ducrow and Walter Fischer (UK), Molby and Mario Battisti (IT), Sarah Hillebrecht and Georg Mann (DE), Valerie Schürch and Ivo Moosberger (CH), Yann-Marie Coulombez and Irène Collaud (CH/FR), Yvonne Christen Vágner and Jan Vágner (CH), Onongua Enkhtur and Ulziibat Enkhtur (MNG), and Heidi Bernet and Erwin Bernhard (CH).

Looking ahead: Land Art 2027

The next Land Art Set-up Week will run from 31 May to 4 June 2027. The festival officially opens on Saturday, 5 June 2027, when visitors can explore the completed installations and join guided tours with the artists to learn about the ideas, processes and stories behind each artwork. The works will then be signposted throughout the summer and will gradually be transformed by wind, weather and the passage of time — their transience becoming part of the experience.

Open Call: artist teams wanted for 2027!

If you'd rather take part than just visit, you can now apply. Grindelwald Tourism is looking for twelve experienced teams of two artists to create an artwork on site. All team members must be present for the entire festival week.

You don’t need to submit a fully developed project at the application stage — just a sketch of a possible idea on no more than one A4 page to give an insight into your creative approach. This can evolve ahead of the festival and be adapted to the actual conditions on site. If your team specialises in a particular natural material, please mention this.

Applications should also include portfolios or examples of recent work, as well as short biographies,  for all team members. During the festival week, accommodation and meals are provided, along with professional photographic documentation of the finished work. An artist fee of CHF 1,000 per team is paid after the event. Participants must cover their own travel costs to and from Grindelwald.

Application deadline: 31 October 2026
Please send your complete application as a single PDF to event@grindelwald.swiss.

More information about the festival and the Open Call is available at grindelwald.swiss/landart

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