Aala Nyman selected as Artist in Residency for FIDA 2026

Aala nyman is THE ARTIST selected for The FIDA - residency program for visual artists in collaboration with FABRIKKEN in 2026.

Aala Nyman is a Helsinki-based artist whose practice spans sculpture, ceramics, photography, textiles, and installation. She works with both found and acquired materials, such as leftover and surplus materials, clothing, and other modest everyday objects. Nyman's work emphasises the temporality and accidental nature of everyday objects and materials, and is based on a process of discovery, where things find their form through gathering, observing and altering. Nyman graduated with a Master's degree in Sculpture from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2025.  

The selection for the FIDA residency was made by FABRIKKEN and an external jury consisting of artists and curators. The jury motivated their choice of the artist with the following statement:  

Aala Nyman has a promising and materially sensitive practice, and her motivation persuasive in relation to the residency framework. She seems genuinely ready to benefit from curatorial support, new professional connections, and access to a different working environment. She is early in her development, but that is also part of her strength here: the residency could have a meaningful impact on the next stage of her practice. Her work is excellent and has a little bit of magic to it.  

The FIDA residency programme for visual artists was established in 2019 as a collaboration between the Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark and Fonden FABRIKKEN for Kunst og Design. The purpose of the programme is to accelerate the resident’s career by offering active curatorial support, by building networks between professional artists on the contemporary Finnish and Danish art scenes, and by introducing the resident to a Danish art market. During her residency, Nyman will also receive active curatorial support.

Aala Nyman is the eighth artist to be selected for the two-month programme in Copenhagen, which will take place in August - September 2026.

Fonden FABRIKKEN for Kunst og Design 

FABRIKKEN is a not-for-profit art institution that provides studios and work spaces for around 70 professional Copenhagen-based artists and designers. FABRIKKEN is guided by the spirit of professionalism and exchange. In addition to the studios, FABRIKKEN contains a 1.000 m2 space, which is used for artistic production, exhibitions, and events.