News Saari Residence 14.02.2025 Open call for artists: Saari Residence 2026 Photo Jussi Virkkumaa Share: Application period: 1–31 March 2025 Saari Residence Mynämäki, Finland The Saari Residence is pleased to announce an Open Call for the 2026 Residency Program. We welcome applications from professional artists from all fields of art for the international Saari Residence in 2026. The residency periods are two months long, and the residency includes accommodation and a work grant. In the summer of 2026, a major renovation project will begin in the old stone barn where the residency’s separate working spaces (studios, dance studio and workshop) are located. The renovation will create more workspaces that better meet the needs of the artists, as well as communal spaces for enjoyment. You can read more about the renovation project here. The renovation will impact working in the residency in 2026. No group residencies will be offered in summer 2026 due to the renovation of the workspaces. In spring 2026, individual artists or artistic duos can apply for workspaces outside their apartments. However, in autumn 2026, separate workspaces will not be available, and all work will take place within the apartments. During this time, the residencies will be suitable for “tidier”, desk-based work that requires little space. Please note that the renovation may cause some noise disruption during weekdays. Saari Residence, an International Artist in Residence Saari Residence, maintained by Kone Foundation, is an international residence for artists in Mynämäki, Southwest Finland. Located in a culturally and historically significant countryside setting, the Saari Residence offers an excellent and inspiring working environment supporting artistic development and creativity. Professional artists from all fields of art can apply for residency. Residence participants are encouraged to delve into their artistic work and to develop potential new directions for it side by side with the other residents. The residence’s long-term activities and thinking are underpinned by an ecological approach, which also covers social and psychological sustainability. The keywords are slowness, insight and change. Working with ecological topics is not a requirement for artists selected for the residency. Instead, our focus on ecology is reflected in the residency’s overall activities. The main purpose of the residency is not to network within the field of art or to host exhibitions or performances. No exhibition or performance is required at the end of the residency period. Artists can apply for individual residency places. Successful applicants receive a working grant, accommodation, and workspace. The four two-month-long working periods for individual artists and work partners take place in spring and autumn. During each period, there are eight artists in residence, and one Saari Invited Artist. Half of the residency spots are given to artists living in Finland, and the other half are allocated to artists coming from abroad. The selection will represent various art fields, including both emerging artists and artists with longer careers. We encourage those coming to the residence from outside of Finland to apply for support for ecological travel to cover their travel expenses. Artists arriving from Global South can apply for flight support and visa fees (processing and possible travel). Otherwise, we do not fund flying or other unsustainable means of transportation. The travel support must be applied for at the same time as the residency grant; you cannot apply for it retrospectively. Every year, the Saari Residence provides work facilities for around 50 individual artists, researchers or working groups. During its history, the residency has hosted around 800 artists and researchers from more than 50 countries. Last year, 1,200 individual artists and working groups from 91 countries applied for residency. A residency for 2025 was granted to 3,2 per cent of the applicants. Application period The annual application period for residencies taking place in 2026 opens on 1 March and ends on Monday, 31 March 2023 at 4 p.m. Finnish time (Eastern European time, UTC +3). Only applications submitted via the online grant service during the application period will be considered. Applying Open call for residencies is always for the residency spots for the following year. The two-month individual residency periods are January to February 2026, March to April 2026, September to October 2026 and November to December 2026. There are no group residencies available in 2026. Submit your proposal through the online grant service. Applications cannot be sent via email or outside the online service. Please read our guidelines carefully before applying. There is no application fee. Who can apply? The residencies are intended for individual professional artists and artist duos, fiction writers, poets, novelists, translators, curators and critics of all disciplines and all nationalities for the purpose of carrying out a project proposal presented in advance. We welcome artists at all stages of their professional life from emerging to well-established. Work partners can apply for residency in a joint application. The Saari Residence considers diversity, inclusion, and equality in residency selections. We continuously improve accessibility in our operations and strive to implement positive measures in the application process to promote diversity. Artists with families and partners are also welcome at the residence. One of the apartments at the Saari Residence is also suitable for dog owners. The residencies are designed for artistic work. Priority is given to multidisciplinary, new, or non-mainstream themes and fields of art. Researchers, non-fiction writers or students cannot apply for residency through the open call. The language used in Saari is English. The Saari Residence offers: Funding The two-month residencies include accommodation, a workspace and a monthly grant, the sum of which is determined by the applicant’s professional experience (€2,700 / €3,200 / €3,800 per month). The purpose of the grant is to cover the cost of living, travel costs and other expenses. Support for ecological travel Ecological travel refers to avoiding flying and other ecologically unsustainable means of transport. You can apply for support for ecological travel if you are coming to Saari Residence from outside of Finland and travelling out of Finland when leaving. If the journey takes more than a week in total, it is possible to also apply for a work grant for the travels. The application must include a travel plan. Support for travels from Global South As part of the Saari Residence’s social sustainability, accessibility and diversity, artists arriving from Global South can apply for support for the flights and the fees for visas (processing and possible travel). The application must include a travel plan. Accommodation The apartments at Saari Residence have a kitchen or kitchenette with basic amenities, and one of the buildings has a shared kitchen. Each resident has an apartment to themselves, including an en suite shower and toilet. One of the apartments is wheelchair accessible. Additional information related to accessibility can be requested by e-mail at saari@koneensaatio.fi. Working space During spring 2026, the workspaces at the Barn at the Saari Residence are available for use. They include a dance studio, four studios for visual artists, and a woodworking shop. The rooms for literary work are located in the apartments. In autumn 2026, all residents will be working in their apartments, and this should be considered in the work plan. The residency will not be able to offer alternative working spaces during the renovation. The residence does not have a darkroom, media room or equipment for printing, pottery, graphics or textile work. You also can apply for residency for the planning stage of your work. Residents will not have to share workspaces with others. A peaceful working environment The Saari Residence is located in a tranquil and unique rural setting surrounded by nature, situated on the shore of Mynälahti, 30 km north of Turku in Southwest Finland. The diverse workspaces and peaceful countryside surroundings provide an ideal setting for focusing on one’s work. The opportunity to meet other artists The Saari Residence also gives artists a platform to meet each other and share their thoughts and ideas at the Saari Well, which is one part of the residence that makes it unique. The Saari Well is a metaphor for the shared residency experience for the Saari Fellows. The two-month residency periods, with typically eight artists from different fields and a Saari Invited Artist staying at the residence at a time, provide plenty of opportunities for interaction that crosses the boundaries between different art forms as well as art and research. The residency organizes a joint program every week, usually at the beginning of the week. The program includes presentation and feedback sessions and often a joint lunch. Residents can also participate in workshops, excursions, and discussions related to the work of the Saari Invited Artist. The organised programme is voluntary. If you are interested in participating in the joint programme, please reserve time for it when planning your work. Mentoring programme We offer each artist the opportunity for two mentoring meetings with remote access. The mentoring sessions will be carried out during the residency periods, from the beginning of September to the end of April. Photo: Jussi Virkkumaa Application guidelines Please read our guidelines on how to apply on our website. Applicants are required to fill in an electronic application form on our online grant service. Please note that we do not accept applications by email or other means outside the online service. The applicants’ ability to successfully implement the project will be assessed on the basis of the work plan, CV (or CVs), portfolio and certificates submitted with the application. Residencies for 2026 will be published on 16 June 2025. Application guidelines About the Saari Residence More information Residency and Communications Coordinator Pirre Naukkarinen, pirre.naukkarinen@koneensaatio.fi, tel. +358 44 031 4201