HIAP Residency Programme is HIAP’s main residency programme, which has welcomed artists to Helsinki since the year 1998. The programme focuses on contemporary art but is open for art professionals from other disciplines as well. The programme offers time and space for open-ended research and experimentation, without the requirement to produce finalised pieces or work.

For the year 2020, HIAP offers three residency periods for Nordic and Baltic art practitioners. Applications are accepted from:

• Artists and other art professionals of Nordic or Baltic nationality that reside in the Nordic region (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, the Åland Islands), the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) or abroad
• Artists and other art professionals who are based in Nordic and Baltic countries (Nordic or Baltic nationality is not required)

Please note that the aim is to encourage mobility from another Nordic or Baltic country to Finland, therefore the call is not for Finland-based practitioners.

The residency studios, which combine living and working space, are located on the island of Suomenlinna in Helsinki, Finland. The studios are 80 sq meters, furnished, and divided into a working space downstairs and a separate living space with bathroom and kitchenette. The studios are suitable for a single artist or a family, and can accommodate two to three persons. For images of the HIAP Suomenlinna Studios, please take a look at https://www.flickr.com/photos/hiap/albums/72157708766213177

The duration of the residency is three months. The programme at HIAP is divided into three residency seasons:

Spring (March – May)
Summer (June – August)
Autumn (September – November)

The applicants can state their preferred residency periods in the application form.

The residency includes accommodation and studio space free of charge, working grant of 40€ per day (approximately 1200€ per month), a production budget of 750€ and travel costs.

The main funders of HIAP Residency Programme are Taike Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Ministry of Education and Culture and City of Helsinki. The Nordic and Baltic residencies are realised with the support of the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture by Nordic Culture Point.

HIAP residents have access to administrative support and to contacts with local arts professionals and organisations. The residents have a chance to present their work-in-progress in regular Open Studio events. In addition, HIAP Project Space can be used by for meetings, gatherings or for self-organised events. HIAP hosts a weekly internal residency community gathering with occasional special guests.

HIAP works in collaboration with organisations that can offer specific production facilities for artists. An example of these is the Pot Viapori ceramics studio, located next to HIAP Suomenlinna Studios.

The selected artists will be notified by the end of December 2019. Please note that due to the large number of applicants, we are unfortunately unable to give feedback about individual applications.

The deadline for the applications is Thursday, October 31, 2019 (11:59 pm, GMT +2).

SELECTION CRITERIA

HIAP Residency Programme welcomes artists, curators and other arts professionals with a wide range of backgrounds and diverse practices. The selection is based on professional merit and there are neither limitations nor preferences in factors such as country of origin, age, media, etc.

Applications from individual artists, collectives or artist duos are welcomed. Please note that in case of more than one selected applicant, the working grant and travel allowance will need to be shared among the members of the group.

The main criteria for the selection are the originality and quality of the professional practice and the motivation letter.

In addition, there are several guidelines that the HIAP Jury will take into account when assessing any proposal:

– Applicants should be reasonably fluent in English (spoken and written).

– Applicants should normally have at least 2–3 years of proven professional practice or have completed a university level degree in a relevant field of study.

– The willingness to present one’s practice to local audiences in the frame of HIAP Open Studios is considered an advantage.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

To apply, applicants must submit the following by using an online application form:

• Motivation letter
• Working plan describing the professional activities you plan to undertake during the residency period
• Short bio and a curriculum vitae
• Examples of previous work

Applications or supporting material sent by e-mail without using the online application form will not be taken into consideration.

Please note the following guidelines regarding additional material supporting your application:

• It is advised that all the supporting material is stored online and can be downloaded via the use of hyperlinks, which are mentioned in the application. Please make sure that the links do not expire before you have received the decision of the Jury.
• All image / video / sound samples should be stored and shared online. It is advised to use platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, etc, so that downloading isn’t required to  access the material.

Please note that due to the amount of materials received, we are unable to contact applicants upon receipt of each application, to address individual inquiries regarding submitted proposals, or to comment further upon the selection process.