HIAP Learning Materials 2027–28: Finland-Based Artists, €16,200 Fellowship, 26 October Deadline
Two year-long fellowships for Finland-based arts practitioners
HIAP Helsinki International Artist Programme, together with Bioart Society, Koynẽ Program and TUO TUO, is selecting two Finland-based arts practitioners for its Learning Materials 12 Month Fellowship 2027–28. The residency runs from 12 April 2027 to 9 April 2028 on the island of Suomenlinna, Helsinki. This is a research-led, collaborative arts fellowship, not an unrestricted grant for any creative business. Its central question is how social and ecological relationships can be rethought through material practice, making, technology and collaborative knowledge. Bioart, biotechnology-related practice, digital materials, social practice, food systems, craft, curating, writing and other related disciplines can be relevant.
Who can apply: residence in Finland, not international status
The call is strictly for practising artists and arts professionals based in Finland. It is not a general worldwide opportunity, and Finnish citizenship alone should not be assumed to replace the actual Finland-based professional-practice condition. Applicants from any artistic discipline are welcome, but they must show substantial existing engagement with socially engaged and material-focused work. This is not designed for beginners proposing to try material experimentation for the first time during the fellowship. Collectives can apply; however, the Kone Foundation working grant of €1,350 a month is paid to one individual only, with no automatic extra grant for each member.
How the €16,200 working grant differs from research and accessibility funds
The financial package consists of a 50% working grant of €1,350 per month for 12 months, totalling €16,200, supplied via Kone Foundation. A separate €2,000 research budget supports the investigation and activities; it must not be described as another unrestricted personal salary. HIAP additionally identifies an access budget of up to €1,000 for disabled artists and those with qualifying access requirements. The offer includes a furnished live/work HIAP Suomenlinna Atelier of approximately 80 square metres and access to shared equipment and workshops. These in-kind and earmarked resources are not all cash prizes. Taxation, social security and insurance obligations relating to the working grant need to be checked with the Kone Foundation guidance.
Artistic responsibilities throughout the twelve months
Fellows develop their own investigations while helping to shape the partner project's public and professional programme. Tasks include approximately two steering-group meetings, informal mentoring and a studio visit with each international three-month resident, contribution to mapping networks and resources for materials practice, and support for workshops, visits and conversations. Fellows should present their practice at a public event, participate in the Learning Intensive scheduled for 2–8 August 2027 and contribute to at least one open-access publishing output, whether print, digital or audio. They are not expected to become event-production employees simply because their artistic input shapes the programme.
Application closes 26 October at 15:00 GMT+2
Applications must reach HIAP's official online form by Monday 26 October 2026 at 3:00 p.m. GMT+2, the time displayed on HIAP's own call. The application language is English. Submit a short professional biography, motivation statement and work plan, each limited to 250 words or two minutes, plus a portfolio of up to ten pages or five minutes. Applicants can submit answers as written, audio or video materials; audio/video responses must be single unedited takes. Work-sample links must be accessible without passwords or sharing restrictions. HIAP explicitly does not accept applications by email. Because one partner's secondary listing gives a different time-zone expression, applicants should treat the HIAP form and primary call as authoritative and avoid submitting near the final hour.
Research and living at the Suomenlinna site
HIAP Suomenlinna is situated within a UNESCO World Heritage site a ferry journey from central Helsinki. The year-long fellows receive an atelier combining living quarters and workspace; HIAP also operates shared project, workshop, equipment and community rooms. Some equipment such as projectors and sound systems can be borrowed, subject to availability and rules. Family accommodation is possible under the conditions of this particular Atelier programme. Artists needing specialist electronic equipment, laboratory facilities, accessibility adjustments or unusual materials should discuss those needs with HIAP and its partners rather than assume unlimited equipment access.
About the organisers and independent 90-day call
HIAP has hosted international art residencies since 1998, and has developed projects including Frontiers in Retreat and the Post-Fossil Transition work. Bioart Society brings expertise at the intersection of art, science and society; Koynẽ specialises in biological and technological processes; TUO TUO coordinates publishing and visual communication. The multi-year Learning Materials initiative is supported by Kone Foundation with additional partners FIBRA, LABVA, Scottish Sculpture Workshop and SWAMP. A different Learning Materials international residency lasts 90 days, targets artists based outside Finland and has a separate €4,050 working grant. Do not accidentally apply using the international form for this Finland-based twelve-month fellowship.
How to prepare a distinctive application
Explain what you have already learned from materials and communities, what methods you intend to deepen in Helsinki and how your research contributes to local as well as international discussions. Think concretely about sources of materials, ecological and ethical consequences, public learning and realistic time commitment. HIAP cautions that applications generated wholesale using AI may lack a convincing individual artistic voice; applicants should present their own practice and ideas rather than copy generic material from an external article. The original guidelines take precedence for eligibility, exact timing, accessibility and file format.
Original call and official application
This article provides a summary. To avoid misunderstandings, please be sure to check the official page for full details.
Information checked on 19 October 2026.
Other independently organised digital art calls
Aion Digital Art Award is a separate competition run by Aion Laboratory. It is not administered by HIAP and has no role in the selection or funding for Learning Materials.