DEADLINE: 1 JANUARY  2026, 15:00 (GMT + 2)

This residency is for artists working in contemporary visual and interdisciplinary practices, currently based in Finland.

The residency is realised as part of an exchange with Ramallah Municipality, HIAP Helsinki International Artist Programme and Sumud. For Palestinian artists to undertake a residency in Finland, please refer to this call out.

Residency Period and Location:

15 April – 15 June 2026 at “Mammarat”, Ramallah – Palestine

ABOUT THE RESIDENCY

Ramallah Municipality (Palestine), HIAP (Finland) and Sumud (Finland) invite Finland based artists to apply for a two month residency program in Ramallah between 15 April – 15 June 2026.

Mammarat (“Paths” in English) is an international residency program administered by the Ramallah Municipality and established in 2016. The residency has been suspended for the past two years due to the genocidal war on Gaza and on Palestine as a whole. The program aims to develop strategic partnerships with residencies that share its social, political, and human values. Finland-based artists wishing to undertake a residency in Ramallah are invited to consult this call.

Traveling to a city under occupation is never a matter of ordinary routes or familiar procedures, as “ordinary” and “normal” do not reflect the lived realities in Palestine under Israeli occupation.

Mammarat provides international artists with the opportunity to explore, experience, and reflect upon the conditions of a resilient city living under occupation.

Residents work in shared studios located in a uniquely compelling and inspiring environment in the old city of Ramallah, housed in a historic building alongside local artists. This setting facilitates meaningful and in-depth engagement with the local cultural scene.

The program further encourages residents to meet key local actors. It follows a research-based methodology designed to engage with the city of Ramallah and to generate knowledge that supports artistic production emerging from research, discovery, and lived experience.

The programme encourages residents to collaborate with key local actors and researchers, promoting cooperation and coproduction. Mammarat hosts artists working in contemporary visual and interdisciplinary practices, regardless of their chosen medium of expression.

WEB: www.ramallah.ps

FB: https://www.facebook.com/R.Municipality

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ramallahmunicipality

RESIDENCY CONDITIONS

• Travel to and from the artists home
• Artist Fee of €2500
• Material costs for a lecture, workshop or final presentation
• Health insurance during the residency period
• Separate apartment and artist studio

WORKING SPACE AND ACCOMMODATION

The workspace is located in a historical building at the old city of Ramallah which is a residency space for local artists.  

The city of Ramallah accommodates the artist with an apartment in the old city close to the workspace.

WHO CAN APPLY

This call is for professional artists currently based in Finland and working in contemporary visual and interdisciplinary fields.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be submitted by the deadline and to the following email: 

we@ramallah.ps

Required materials:

• Brief outline of your professional background and biography (up to 250 words)
• Motivation statement (up to 250 words)
• Work Plan (up to 250 words)
• Portfolio / examples of previous work (max 10 images or 3 video / audio files) provided as an external link (no upload optional available). 

Application Language is English

Application Deadline: 1 January 2026, 15:00 (GMT + 2)

DECISION MAKING AND TIMELINE

A panel which includes representatives from partner organizations and independent artists / cultural workers will make the selections.

The Jury will meet between 15 – 18 January, after which you will hear from us on the next steps including interview arrangements.

Interviews will be undertaken between 25 – 31 January 2026.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The jury will evaluate the applications based on the following criteria:

• Motivation: does the applicant make a strong argument as to why they want to undertake a residency?
• Relevance: would the residency have a potentially meaningful impact on the local art scene?
• Topicality: does the focus of the proposal resonate well with topical issues?

Quality of applications will be assessed across multiple areas including relevancy, originality and distinctiveness, rigour, presentation, vision and impactfulness. 

The final selection will be made based on the highest scoring applicants against the above criteria.

Due to the volume of applications, individual feedback cannot be provided. However we will endeavour to summarise the key jury discussion points and share with all who applied. 

A note on the use of AI in application:

As a principle, the use of AI in development of applications is not an issue and we recognise how important AI is as an access and inclusion tool. Unfortunately, we have found in recent open calls that AI is being used to generate the content of applications (as opposed to supporting the writing and editing process), and this has often resulted in proposals with a lack of voice and authenticity. 

We reference this not to demonise the use of AI in application processes, but to encourage applicants who are using AI to consider how they can maintain their own unique voice within their proposals and avoid weakening their individuality.