By the application deadline of 20 December 2024, Nordic Culture Point had received 352 applications from artists across all the Nordic countries, except for Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Individual writers and visual artists, as well as performing arts groups, dancers, choreographers, photographers, animators, curators, cultural producers, and researchers active in the Nordic Region submitted applications. The volume of applications highlights the need for a space for focused work, good working conditions, expanded networks, and Nordic co-operation.
“The huge interest in the initiative shows that there is an enormous need for artist residencies across all art fields. With Residency B28, Nordic Culture Point is seeking to promote artistic activity and encourage Nordic co-operation. Artists and cultural practitioners play a vital role in society and provide insight locally and internationally. Offering a residency on Suomenlinna that combines seclusion with an inspiring work environment is one way for us to improve the conditions for cultural creators,” explains Gitte Wille, director of Nordic Culture Point.
Artistic residencies at Suomenlinna
“The applications were of high quality, and eight artistic work processes have now been granted residencies in the spring, summer, autumn, and winter of 2025, extending until the summer of 2026. During each residency period, the public is invited to artist talks at the Nordic Library on Kaisaniemenkatu 9, as well as to ‘open studios’ at Suomenlinna B28, where the artists share their creative processes,” explains Anki Hellberg-Sågfors, cultural developer for Nordic Culture Point’s residency programme at Suomenlinna.
The 2025 residency year will begin with a Danish choreographer exploring bodily autonomy, integrity, and expression in relation to the ageing body. Later in the spring, the theme continues with a project by an artist based in Denmark, who uses humour and physical theatre to challenge stereotypes about ageing.
During the summer, a Norwegian and a Danish writer/translator will collaborate to write and translate each other’s texts. Their project examines the possibilities of translation and how one can understand a place by transferring it into written form – from one language to another.
In late summer, an Icelandic artist will create a textile work focusing on invasive plants as a metaphor for how outsiders become part of an island’s ecosystem. During the autumn and winter of 2025–2026, themes such as birdsong as a choir, picnics, icons, and outdoor animation will be explored through artistic processes.
The next application round for Residency B28 will open in September 2025.
