About the residency
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Art form: First Nations Arts, Community Arts and Cultural Development, Dance, Emerging and Experimental Arts, Literature, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts
Grant amount: $10,000
Website: HIAP
Founded in 1998, HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme is the largest international residency centre in the Nordic and Baltic region. Every year up to 40 artists and arts professionals residing in Finland and abroad are offered a working period at HIAP. The residency durations range from one month (curatorial residencies) to three months (international residencies), and up to 11 months (local residencies). The program offers time and space for open-ended research and experimentation, without the requirement to produce finalised work. The HIAP residency venues are located on Suomenlinna island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located a 15-minute ferry ride away from the centre of Helsinki, and in the Cable Factory cultural complex in Helsinki.
The HIAP residency program focuses on visual arts, however, it is open to artists and curators from various disciplines. Collaborating with local and international partner organisations, residencies extend to such creative fields as dance, theatre, literature, and music. The activities are organised predominantly through thematic residency programs that highlight a geographical area or concentrate on a specific contemporary topic or an aspect of artistic practice.
The HIAP residency program offers time and support for developing new work in dialogue with the local art scene. The goal is to offer space for experimental, cross-disciplinary art practices and to actively contribute to topical debates within and around the context of art.
The HIAP team and supporting curators help the residents with their research as well as practical everyday matters. Residents have access to services such as weekly residency community meetings, access to facilities and equipment, meetings with a supporting curator and the option to take part in the HIAP Open Studios event. This normally takes place towards the end of each residency season and is an opportunity to present work-in-progress to arts professionals and the general public.
Resources to help strengthen your application and maximise your residency experience can be found here.
Information pack: Download PDF.
Meet this year’s participants
Sarah Rodigari
Sarah Rodigari
Sarah Rodigari is a Sydney-based artist whose practice addresses the social and political potential of art. Sarah’s work is site responsive, employing durational live action, improvisation, and dialogical methodologies to produce text-based performance, installations and video. Rodigari has worked with and within various contexts and institutions. These include the National: New Australia Art, Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney), the 20th Biennale of Sydney, Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne International Arts Festival, ACCA, The Poetry Project (NYC) and SOMA (Mexico City). Rodigari holds a PhD in Creative Arts from the University of Wollongong and is a member of the collective Field Theory.
Image credit: Jacquie Manning
Make or Break
Make or Break
Make or Break devise and experiment with process-based projects that are co-authored with communities they are invited into. These have included creating experimental economies and temporary currencies; caring for civic spaces and the ‘nonhuman’; celebrating the labour of strangers; prototyping for future worlds; writing speculative fiction and facilitating conversations as collective research. Make or Break is Rebecca Gallo and Connie Anthes, who work and live on the stolen lands of the Gadigal and Bidjigal in Sydney, Australia. They acknowledge First Nations sovereignty and their continuing care for Country, Sky, and Water. www.makeorbreakart.com
Image credit: Dean Tirkot
Helen Svoboda
Helen Svoboda
Helen Svoboda is a double bassist, vocalist, and composer. Her work explores the melodic potential of the contemporary double bass, intricately weaving extended techniques and overtones amidst abstract song writing and nature-themed compositions.
Helen lived and studied in the Netherlands/Germany from 2018-20. She has performed with artists and organisations including Cory Smythe, Sebastian Gramss, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the Australian Art Orchestra. She was awarded the 2020 Freedman Jazz Fellowship, was the recipient of the 2020/21 Australian Art Orchestra Pathfinders Music Leadership Program and is currently studying a PhD in composition under the tutelage of Cat Hope at Monash University.
In line with her active performance career, Helen has released albums across her own original projects, including ‘Vegetable Bass’ (2020) and ‘Since Subito’ (Meatshell, 2021). As a composer her commissions include works for solo guitar and viola, alongside a collection of her own scores which are published online in the Contrabass Conversations Online Music Library.
Image credit: Celeste de Clario
- Only individuals or groups of two may apply to this category.
- You must be a practicing artist or arts worker and an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident.
Who can’t apply
You can’t apply if:
- You received a grant, or administered a grant, from the Australia Council in the past and that grant has not been satisfactorily acquitted
- You owe money to the Australia Council
- We will not accept applications from legally constituted organisations.
Australia Council staff will consider applications according to the assessment criteria and will seek recommendations by industry advisors as needed. Successful applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by late September 2022.
Applicants must address the following assessment criteria:
- Artistic merit
- suitability of your practice to the residency program and its artistic environment/offer
- quality of work previously produced, and public and peer response to your work
- Viability
- suitability of your proposal to the residency program
- the skills and artistic ability of your collaborators and their relevance to the proposed activity
- realistic and achievable planning, resource use and evaluation.
- Impact on career
- how the proposed activity strengthens your artistic practice
- the relevance and timeliness of the proposed activity
- how the proposed activity strengthens your capacity as an arts professional, particularly in relation to international development and collaboration.
You should submit support material with your application. Assessors may review this support material to help them gain a better sense of your project.
What you should provide
We do not accept application-related support material submitted via post. Application-related material received by post will not be assessed and will be returned to the sender. If you think you will have difficulty submitting your support material online, or need advice on what type of material to submit, please contact Ellen Dwyer, International Market Adviser, Europe on +61 02 9215 9051 or e.dwyer@australiacouncil.gov.au.
There are three types of support material you may submit:
1. Artistic support material
This should include relevant, recent examples of your artistic or cultural work.
Types of support material we accept
Our preferred method of receiving support material is via URLs (weblinks).
You can provide up to three URLs (weblinks) that link to content that is relevant to your proposal. This may include video, audio, images, or written material.
These URLs can include a total of:
- 10 minutes of video and/or audio recording
- 10 images
- 10 pages of written material (for example, excerpts of literary writing).
Please note: Our assessors will not access any URLs that require them to log in or sign up to a platform. Please do not provide links to Spotify or other applications that require users to log in or pay for access.
If you are linking to media files that are private or password protected like Vimeo, please provide the password in the password field on the application form.
Other accepted file formats
If you cannot supply support material via URLs, you may upload support material to your application in the following formats:
- video (MP4, QuickTime, and Windows Media)
- audio (MP3 and Windows Media)
- images (JPEG and PowerPoint)
- written material (Word and PDF).
2. Biographies and CVs
You can include a brief bio or curriculum vitae (CV) for key artists, personnel or other collaborators involved in your project.
Brief bios or CV information should be presented as a single document no longer than two A4 pages in total.
3. Letters of support
Individuals, groups, or organisations can write letters in support of your project. A support letter should explain how the project or activity will benefit you, other artists or arts professionals, participants, or the broader community. It can also detail the support or involvement of key project partners, or evidence of consultation.
If relevant to your activity, letters of support must provide evidence of appropriate permissions and support from First Nations organisations, communities, and Elders. Please refer to the First Nations Protocols for more information.
You can include up to five letters of support, with each letter not exceeding one A4 page.
The selected residents stay in a HIAP Suomenlinna atelier apartment. The residency spaces are in the Palmstierna studio complex, a renovated two-storey red-brick barrack from the 18th century, currently housing nine residential units (five atelier apartments and four regular apartments) and one workspace for artists.
The HIAP Suomenlinna atelier apartments are approx. 80 sqm each, furnished, and divided into a working space downstairs and a separate living space with bathroom and fully equipped kitchenette upstairs. The atelier apartments feature two single beds and a sofa-bed and can accommodate up to three persons. Bedding, linen, and towels are provided. The atelier apartments have a wireless internet connection. You can see some of the residency spaces here.
It is possible to access the ground floor of the HIAP atelier apartments, office, Gallery Augusta & Project Space by wheelchair, but HIAP recommend wheelchair users be accompanied by a person assisting because the entrance doors are not step-free. The living area of the two-story atelier apartments is accessible only via staircase (approx. 19 steps), and not accessible by wheelchair. The toilets are not spacious enough to meet accessibility standards. Despite this, HIAP are happy to help you plan your residency. Please contact HIAP to discuss your access needs and receive additional information. You can also find further details on accessibility in the information pack.
Family members and guests are welcome in all HIAP’s locations. The atelier apartment can accommodate a family of two adults with up to two small children. Please note that pets are not allowed in the rooms.
Your application must comply with the following Protocols. We may contact you to request further information during the assessment process, or if successful, as a condition of your funding.
Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts
All applications involving First Nations artists, communities or subject matter must adhere to these Protocols, provide evidence of this in their application and support material. More information on the First Nations Protocols is available here.
Commonwealth Child Safe Framework
All successful applicants are required to comply with all Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children, including working with children checks and mandatory reporting. Successful organisations who provide services directly to children, or whose funded activities involve contact with children, will additionally be required to implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
2021-2022
- Francoise Lane is a Torres Strait Islander woman whose maternal family are from Kerriri and descendant of the Meriam and Kaurareg people of the Torres Strait Islands. She is a qualified interior designer with a Bachelor of Built Environment (Interior Design) from the Queensland University of Technology. Together with her husband Andrew Lane they are Indij Architecture and Design; a 100% Indigenous owned award winning architectural and design practice based in Cairns and operating since 2011. As an interior designer, textile designer and artist she describes her work as straddling the intersection between design and art including exhibition curation and leading creative art projects.
- Sumugan Sivanesan is an anti-disciplinary artist and researcher, whose interests span migrant histories, minority politics, activist media, artist infrastructures and more-than-human rights. He was a Kone Foundation fellow over 2020–21, initiating an artistic research project, ‘fugitive radio’, as a platform for migrant, queer and anticolonial issues and music in Helsinki (and beyond), in collaboration with Pixelache Helsinki. At HIAP, Sumugan will develop installation and live art formats for fugitive radio, and further collaborations with representatives from diverse communities and organisations in Finland.
2020-2021
- Rebekah (Bek) Berger
- Joshua Pether
2019-2020
- Rhiannon Newton
- Judith Hamann
- Sarah Aiken
- Courtney Coombs
2018-2019
- Loren Kronemyer
- Lisa Hilli
- Tamara Searle
- Caitlin Yardley
2017-2018
- Laith McGregor
- Tessa Rapaport
- Natalie Abbott
- Matt Shilcock
Frequently Asked Questions
Unless stated otherwise in the program description, all residencies are offered for fixed dates and periods of time.
Yes, but this will be at your own cost and the Australia Council will not be able to provide additional funds towards the extension.
No. You are not required to provide a budget with your application.
There is no requirement for you to provide a timetable of your activities, unless stated otherwise in the individual residency program guidelines.
Yes. If successful, you are required to take out travel insurance for the duration of your residency. It is recommended you pay for this from your grant.
The capacity to accommodate children and partners varies for different residencies. Please check the program descriptions for specific requirements. Please note that the programs are limited to the participating artist only and have various limitations e.g. communal living and/or working space or modest living quarters.
Yes, the grant to an individual that accompanies a residency is considered income and taxable. Please visit the Australian Taxation Office website for more information.
The International Residencies Program is dynamic and responsive and the programs on offer may vary from year to year.
Yes. If you are looking for some tips on organising your residency or programs in the region you’re interested in, check out the resources on our International Residencies Program web page.
There is no limit to the number of applications you can submit to the International Residencies Program. However, you will need to consider how the assessors will perceive your commitment to a particular residency program and/or market if you have applied for multiple residencies. Each residency requires you to submit a separate application form. Please note, applications to International Development funding opportunities do not count as an application to the Australia Council Grants Program.
Yes, as long as you have satisfactorily acquitted the previous residency grant.
The grant is not intended to cover lost income or rent at home and applicants will need to consider their capacity to undertake the residency prior to applying.
The Australia Council partners with established and reputable residency providers and each program is unique. Successful applicants will be provided with detailed information about each residency and introductions to the residency providers who will assist artists with making local connections. Australia Council staff are able to provide further advice and contacts, as requested. Australia Council’s International Development Consultants, across Asia, Europe, and North America, are also available as an additional resource. Artists are also expected to have their own resources, contacts and project plans for the residency.
The grant is a contribution from the Australia Council toward your travel (including airfares and travel insurance) and living costs during the residency period. Applicants are expected to research the cost of living in the residency location they are travelling to. You may need to supplement the grant with your own funds depending on your projected costs for the residency period.
No. The Australia Council cannot provide any advice on visa or immigration matters. You must contact the relevant country’s visa service to get current information. We suggest you allow plenty of time to apply for all international visas.
Accessibility varies for different residencies. Please check the program descriptions for specific requirements. Please contact the relevant adviser listed in the guidelines to discuss your access needs for these and other programs available through the International Residencies Program.