Ukraine Solidarity Residencies Programme
THIS PAGE CONTAINS THE KEY INFORMATION ABOUT THE SOLIDARITY RESIDENCIES, WE WILL KEEP UPDATING THIS PAGE AS MORE DETAILS BECOME AVAILABLE
Ukraine Solidarity Residencies offer residencies and accommodation for Ukrainian and Ukraine-based artists and art professionals that have been affected by the war in Ukraine. The aspirations of the collaboration are to promote solidarity by establishing sustainable support networks and finding the means for Ukrainian artists to continue their practices.
The program was started in March 2022 by a group of independent art organisations who joined together to pool resources and share information. The current partners of the programme are AARK, Art Centre Salmela, Connecting Points programme, Fairres, Goethe-Institut Finnland, HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme, Kristinestad Art Residency, Loviisa Art Support Association, Nelimarkka Museum, Pro Artibus, Tahmelan Huvila, The Finnish Artists’ Studio Foundation, The Finnish Illustration Association Kuvittajat, and Värtsilä Artist Residency. The continuation of the programme is possible due to the support of Kone Foundation, Nordic Culture Point and Ministry of Education.
Living conditions / Basic Information
The residencies are located in various places, mostly around southern Finland. Accommodation, travel and living costs of the residents are covered as part of the program. The residency period offered is 3-6 months with the possibility of continuation. The residencies can host a single artist or artist with family members (up to 4 people).
Art Centre Salmela provides each resident artist with a private room and a separate studio for working. Common spaces include a kitchen, bathrooms, and a living room. The studios and bedrooms may be shared among multiple artists as agreed ahead of time. There are 1-4 artist’ in residence at a given time.
Art in Lov Residence (Loviisa art support association) is an artist residency in Loviisa, Finland that started in 2021. The residency welcomes professional practitioners of all art forms from visual arts to music and dance, including curators. The distinctive thing about the residency is our focus on collaboration with local partners, opportunity for participation, local activities and art in public spaces. The residency offers housing and working space to several artists at the same time, and it is also possible for artists to come with family. The residency is located in an old stone house in the city center with a view of the town square. The residency has a large shared workspace, and accommodation is organised communally with a shared kitchen and bathroom.
Fairres is an Eco Art Residency located in the Finnish town of Porvoo. The residence consists of a 45m² semi-detached house with its own garden and a separate 15m² workspace with 24/7 access. Fairres AiR can offer the resident a silent retreat or collaboration with the Porvoo cultural scene.
HIAP offers solidarity residencies in two Helsinki locations; Suomenlinna island and the Cable factory. Both locations offer furnished apartments and studio options as well as access to HIAP’s facilities. Families are welcome at both locations. More information about the residency programme and locations here. HIAP Villa Eläintarha also offers short term stays. Villa Eläintarha is a wooden villa in Helsinki city centre and offers private rooms with a shared kitchen and common area.
Nelimarkka Artist Residency is maintained by Nelimarkka Museum and is located in a nice quiet place close to the centre of Alajärvi. The two-storey residency building was designed by famous architect Alvar Aalto in 1926. On the main floor there is a gallery space, the second floor is solely for the artist’s use and consists of two private rooms and a large shared studio along with a shared kitchen and laundry facilities, The residency also provides bicycles.
The Finnish Artists’ Studio Foundation hosts residents at the Tapiola Guest Studio which is located in Espoo and is 83 m2. There are good transport connections to Helsinki. The workspace is bright and 6 meters high; windows face north to provide even lighting. There is a wooden floor in the studio and walls have been painted white. The workspace is equipped with tables and an easel, and some other simple basic tools. There is also a printer-scanner and a designer monitor. Besides, there are 1-2 camera stands in the studio. However, there is no specific production facilities. If needed, through partnerships, the Foundation can connect the artist to some other local organisations providing access to diverse workshops etc. The studio has an Internet connection, Wi-Fi network. The Guest Studio includes also a kitchen, a bathroom and a living balcony / sleeping loft (15 m2). The live/work studio is in private use of the resident artist. It is suitable also for an artist couple or two artists. Sometimes also small artist families have been hosted in the studio; however, the staircases of the studio are not very safe for children. Due to the staircases, the physical environment of the studio cannot be considered barrier-free / accessible. There is also a sauna in the building.
Värtsilä Artist Residency located in the North Karelia region of Finland offers accommodation, studio space and an artist material allowance. The artist are accommodated in private apartments and there is a priority towards hosting artists with families.
At the moment the Solidarity Residencies are allocating residencies for 2023. There are residency spaces available in Summer and Autumn 2023. Please fill in the form below and we will contact you in the case we need more information or can offer you a residency spot.
To inquire about a residency place please fill in the
Residency request form
For other information contact ukraineaid(at)hiap.fi
Information about the current residencies and collaborators
HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme is an international artist residency organisation which was established in 1998. The HIAP residency programme offers time and space for artists and curators to develope new work in dialogue with the local art scene. The goal is to support experimental, cross-disciplinary art practices and to actively contribute to topical debates within and around the context of art. Since 2019 HIAP is also responsible for managing the Villa Eläintarha artist residency which focuses on short term production residencies.
Frame Contemporary Art Finland is an advocate for Finnish contemporary art. Frame supports international initiatives, facilitates professional partnerships, and encourages critical development of the field through grants, visitor programme and curator residencies, seminars and talks, exhibition collaborations and network platforms. Frame coordinates Finland’s participation in the Venice Biennale.
Connecting Points is a program that aims at strengthening the collegial and curatorial activity in artistic and cultural realm in/within Finland and in Russia. The program is currently coordinated and curated by artist-curator Miina Hujala (from 2016 until 2020 together with Arttu Merimaa who also run a display window space called Alkovi in Helsinki). In 2022 Connecting Points programme directs its resources in aiding the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
Pro Artibus Foundation is an expert organisation for contemporary art. The foundation seeks to promote the development of Finnish-Swedish culture and art in Finland. The foundation engages in wide-ranging informational and educational work on visual art through exhibitions, publications, public occasions, collaborative projects and other art events. The foundation operates throughout Swedish-speaking Finland, with three centres: Vaasa, Ekenäs (Tammisaari) and Helsinki. The old power plant in Ekenäs houses an office and exhibition spaces, along with a conservator’s studio. In Ekenäs Pro Artibus also runs an artist’s residence, Snäcksund, with two separate residency venues: The Villa and The Croft.
Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of Germany with a global reach. One of its main missions is to support and encourage international cultural exchange, as encounter and dialogue are fundamental for free and discursive societies. Our projects bring artistic, scientific, social and daily practices and thoughts together, that reflect the diversity of cultures in our societies. We search to give visibility to silenced knowledge, challenge hegemonic narratives and consider other possible perspectives when shaping and communicating our programme. We most value collaborative and joint work in our team and with committed partners.
Fairres is an Eco Art Residency for musicians and creative professionals. Fairres was established in 2021 by Finnish musician Pi Viana, who also helps to connect musicians with the local music scene. Fairres aims to support art in a sustainable way and uses only nontoxic materials as well as offering artists an ecological, inspiring environment and a space to develop new ideas or continue work in process.
Nelimarkka Museum in Alajärvi, built by Eero Nelimarkka and designed by his friend, architect Hilding Ekelund, was opened in 1964. The Nelimarkka Museum operates as the museum of regional responsibility in art in the province of Southern Ostrobothnia. The Museum hosts a variety of exhibitions, events and residencies.
Värtsilä Artist Residency was founded in response to the war in Ukraine. It is located in North Karelia, Finland. The residency hosts artists who are displaced due to the war. The residency is supported by Tohmajärvi Municipality and is run by artist Karoliina Arvilommi.
The Finnish Artists’ Studio Foundation was founded in 1990 by the The Artists Association of Finland (AAF). The purpose of the Foundation is to secure and offer reasonably rated working facilities and studio apartments for visual artists and to otherwise take part in enhancing thier working conditions.
The Finnish Illustration Association is a non-profit organisation for illustrators. We promote illustration in various fields and support illustrators in their profession.
Art Centre Salmela is the largest visual arts festival in Finland, holds its annual summer exhibition in a collection of historic buildings in Mäntyharju, Finland. Outside the summer season, some of the buildings house a residency program for young visual artists, musicians, and writers. With the continued support of the municipality of Mäntyharju, Salmela has hosted well over 200 artists since the residency program started in 1993. Typically, 4-8 artists participate in the residency each year.
Kone Foundation is an independent non-profit organisation that awards grants to promote academic research, culture and the arts.
Nordic Culture Point is an institution of the Nordic Council of Ministers which works to support Nordic co-operation within the area of culture and to increase awareness of Nordic culture in Finland.
Residencies and Collaborators 2022:
AARK, Connecting Points programme, Fairres, Frame, Goethe-Institut Finnland, HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme, Loviisa Art Support Association, Nelimarkka Museum, Pro Artibus, The Finnish Artists’ Studio Foundation, The Finnish Illustration Association – Kuvittajat, Värtsilä Artist Residency and Saari Residency maintained by Kone Foundation
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