KulttuuriKauppila Art Centre provides time and space for visual and other artists to focus on their artistic research and production. It is in peaceful, rural location, surrounded by the natural beauty of Northern Finland. Open call for residencies Aug 2016 - May 2017.

Ii is a small municipality (population ca. 9,500), situated on the coast at a point where three rivers enter the Gulf of Bothnia. The residency building, which was built in the 19th century, is located in the idyllic cultural heritage area of Ii.


Artists from all art branches can apply to KulttuuriKauppila AiR, though we concentrate on visual arts, community arts and applied arts. The duration of the stay varies between two and four months.

The next application deadline is on 30 September, 2015 for residency periods between August 2016 - May 2017.

Fill out the application form and attach your CV and portfolio. Include also a working plan for the residency. If you are interested in having a bigger exhibition in the region, please state this in the application, too. As Finland is known for its four very distinct seasons, the applicants are asked to state the season (summer / fall / winter / spring) they prefer for their stay in their application.

Please note that the rent of the residence is 400 € per month and travel grants are NOT available from the residency organisers.

The residency program is tailored for each artist. In order to develop the individual program the artist is asked to plan his/her stay. The guest artist may take part in the activities of the local art field by teaching courses, arranging community art workshops and producing artworks to exhibitions in the region.

If the guest artist has a special field of expertise that she/he is interested in sharing with colleagues, we offer possibilities to arrange master classes for local artists throughout the year. The artists who teach classes get paid for their work. 

Please note that there is only one artist or an artist couple at a time in the residency. Most of all KulttuuriKauppila is a place of silence and peace and a place to find time and inspiration for creation of art.