THE INSTITUTE'S RESIDENCY PROGRAMMES

The Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark supports artistic processes by offering working and research periods for Finnish or Finland-based artists through residency programmes. The residencies vary in length, focus area and admission method, and are all realised in collaboration with Finnish and Danish partners. The institute operates two residency programmes with focus on visual arts in Copenhagen: the two month FIDA residency programme for visual artists, and the one-week PortRe portfolio residency programme. The institute also helps fund residency programmes for contemporary circus at DYNAMO in Odense.  

FIDA – Residency programme for visual artists 

FIDA is the Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark’s residency programme for visual artists. It is operated in collaboration with Fonden FABRIKKEN for Kunst og Design in Copenhagen since 2019. 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 Finnish or Finland-based artists to the Danish art market. The FIDA residency programme welcomes 1 artist a year for a duration of 2 months. The Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark and FABRIKKEN oversee the resident’s programme including networking activities and introduces the resident in relevant contexts. 

Application for the residency programme is available through an open call which is announced in February on our and FABRIKKEN’s web page. More information about the open call and application criteria can be found here.

FABRIKKEN is a non-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. 

PortRe – Portfolio residency programme 

PortRe is the Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark’s 1-week long residency programme in Copenhagen with focus on the artist’s portfolio. It is operated in collaboration with the Stina Krook Foundation (FIN) and was launched in 2019. The purpose of PortRe is to create an opportunity for emerging Finnish, or Finland-based, visual artists to come to Copenhagen and present their portfolios to a number of established actors on the Danish cultural field. With gallerists, art critics, curators or other art professionals they commence on a constructive conversation around the artist’s portfolio. The portfolio is an important and necessary tool for visual artists, yet artists rarely have the possibility to discuss them with the people evaluating them. The aim with the programme is to provide this possibility for emerging artists, in an early stage of their career, as a unique opportunity for development and rewarding dialogue between artists and art professionals.   

PortRe is a residency programme by invitation only and welcomes 2 artists a year for a duration of 1 week each. The artists are selected by the Stina Krook Foundation's board from candidates suggested by the foundation’s art experts: Kai Kartio and Helen Korpak. 

The purpose of the Stina Krook Foundation is to support and promote visual arts and performing arts with a special consideration of the Swedish-speaking population in Finland. Stina Nicolaisen, née Krook, established the foundation in December 1976. The first awards were presented on Stinas' birthday on 15 March 1978. Since its establishment, the foundation has supported more than 600 artists in the fields of visual and performing arts with an amount that totals above three million euros. The surprise and joy has been great among the receivers, as the foundation does not accept applications. Instead, the board make its decisions based on suggestions by experts in the field of visual arts and performing arts. 

DYNAMO – Workspace for contemporary circus and performing arts residency 

DYNAMO is a workspace, artistic space and open stage in Odense that hosts residencies for artists and groups in the contemporary circus and performing arts field, making it possible for groups to practise, brainstorm and improve their productions in an environment surrounded by circus professionals and enthusiast. The Finnish Cultural Institute in Denmark has taken part in financing the residencies since 2021. The amount of residencies per year vary between 15-20, and are between 3 days and 1 month long.

DYNAMO hosts curated residencies, often dedicated to a specific theme selected through an open call posted on their social media and web page. It is also possible to apply continuously to so called non-thematic residencies, read more and apply here.

DYNAMO is created for artists by artists and founded in 2018 by circus artists Gry Lambertsen and Rune Vadstrøm Andersen. Dynamo regularly hosts guests performances, own productions, artist in residencies, artist talks, special events, open stages and the DYNAMO circus festival.