Echoes of Home – OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS

Exhibition “Echoes of Home”
OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS.

📍 Crypt of the Helsinki Cathedral, Helsinki
📅 7–21 October 2026.

The Association of Ukrainians in Finland invites artists to participate in the exhibition Echoes of Home, presented in collaboration with Artists at Risk.

✨ The exhibition is part of the international cultural programme Ukraine Season Festival 2026.

Set within the historic Crypt of the Helsinki Cathedral, Echoes of Home brings together artistic practices that reflect on displacement, memory, identity, and resilience shaped by lived experience. The exhibition explores the emotional and psychological landscapes of home — both as a physical place and as a state of being — through contemporary artistic expression.

We believe that art and creativity can transform passive despair into active reflection and collective empowerment. Therefore, we welcome artworks engaging with themes of:

✦ longing,
✦ rupture,
✦ belonging,
✦ reconstruction,
✦ hope, empathy, and peace emerging from uncertainty.

✧ Eligibility

This open call is addressed to:

• 🇺🇦 Ukrainian artists based in Finland,
• 🌍 International artists working with related themes,
• 📷 Artists currently in Ukraine, with a particular interest in photographic works and visual testimonies.

✧ Artistic Scope

We are interested in works that demonstrate:

• Conceptual clarity and artistic depth.
• A compelling engagement with the exhibition’s thematic framework.
• Professional readiness for exhibition (including presentation and framing, where applicable).

Formal education is not a determining factor.
The strength of the idea and its execution will be central to the selection process.

✧ Application:

https://forms.gle/tU2NogeYc1h92aiEA

Applications must be submitted via the online form.

⚠️ Each artist may submit ONE artwork only.

Important Dates
📅 Application deadline: 20 June 2026
📩 Notification of results: by 15 July 2026

Required Materials

Please include:

• Artist biography & artist statement.
• Description of the proposed work.
• Visual documentation.
• Technical specifications & installation requirements.

❗ Incomplete applications will not be considered.

✧ Selection Process

The exhibition curator, Ramiro Camelo, will select artists based on:

• Relevance to the curatorial framework.
• Artistic quality and conceptual strength.
• Feasibility of installation and transport.
• Overall balance and diversity within the exhibition.

✨ Special consideration will be given to artists who have not previously exhibited with the Association of Ukrainians in Finland.

✧ Logistics

• Selected works must be delivered no later than three weeks prior to the exhibition (to a location specified by the organisers)
• Artists are responsible for delivery to the venue
• Return of works will be arranged by the Association under agreed terms, or collected by the artist
• All drawings, photographs, or prints must be properly framed and ready to hang.

⚠️ The organisers are not responsible for damage occurring during transportation or during the exhibition.

✧ Public Programme & Audience Awards

The exhibition will include a public engagement component through audience voting.

Audience Awards
🥇 1st Prize — €300
🥈 2nd Prize — €200
🥉 3rd Prize — €100

All participating artists will receive a small token of appreciation.

📣 Award recipients will be announced at the closing of the exhibition.