CreArt Artist in Residence: Frozen People, Oulu, Finland January-March 2026

About the Open Call

CreArt Oulu and Oulu Urban Culture are launching an open residency call for artists in the CreArt network as part of the art program production for the Frozen People festival. Frozen People is a winter festival of electronic music and northern art in Oulu, taking place outdoors on 28 February 2026, defying weather conditions by the frozen sea. The festival is part of the Oulu2026 – European Capital of Culture program, offering brutal and unique winter conditions for a dance party and art experiences. The residency aims to invite artists to innovate and develop impressive installations for subarctic conditions, creating an art piece for the official art program of the Frozen People festival 2026. The portfolio call targets visual artists under 40 years old in the CreArt network. The festival seeks an installation suitable for the festival area, functional in both daylight and darkness, potentially combining light and media art, community and environmental art, and performative elements. Works should be eco-friendly, recyclable, and leave no traces. Artworks will be located on sea ice in an open seascape, requiring them to be large-scale and spectacular. While snow and ice can be utilized, material choices should not rely solely on them due to challenging weather. The residency period is 28 January - 3 March 2026 (five weeks), with the work exhibited on 28 February 2026. The artwork's location will be coordinated by CreArt Oulu in the outdoor festival area.

What is Offered

The residency includes an artist's fee of €2,500/gross, daily allowances of €53/day for working days in Oulu, coverage of direct travel expenses between the artist’s hometown and Oulu, accommodation in a studio apartment in the center of Oulu for five weeks, and a workspace in an artist community on Pikisaari island for five weeks. A maximum of €1,500 is allocated for materials, with a preference for recycled materials.

Requirements

Visual artists under 40 years old who are part of the CreArt network are eligible. Applicants must have been born or live in one of the cities in the CreArt 3.0 network (Kaunas, Liepaja, Skopje, Aveiro, Valladolid, Lublin, Venice, Clermont-Ferrand, Rouen, Ceske Budejovice, Regensburg). HDLU (Croatian Association of Visual Artists) members and Ukrainian artists (in cooperation with Lviv Artistic Council Dialogue) are also eligible. The proposed outdoor installation must withstand brutal winter conditions, be large-scale, spectacular, eco-friendly, recyclable, and not pose any danger to the public. A comprehensive work plan, CV, portfolio, and passport copy are required for application.

How to Apply

Register on the intranet of the CreArt project and upload your portfolio in the OPEN CALLS section by 12 December 2025. The application must include a CV, portfolio (with work samples), a copy of the passport, and a work plan (max. two A4 pages) detailing the proposed work, materials, technical requirements, working process, and artistic theme.