The Oulu Artists’ Association -63 ry. is organising a national open call for performative artwork which can be performances, or other interventions in urban spaces. The artwork should take place in public spaces where the audience, such as local residents, or passersby, will be able to encounter the art coincidentally. The chosen artists will be paid an all inclusive 2 000 € fee for the production of their artwork. From this call a maximum of 10 artworks will be chosen. The open call will be curated by artist Nestori Syrjälä. The deadline for this call is October 13th, 2025.

This call is intended for professionals working in visual and performance art, in Finland. These ephemeral artworks will complete the selection of art for the ARToulu art area.

Through this open call, we are looking for performative artworks, in which the art approaches the public, without requiring a venue or needing to invite the audience into a space. Otherwise there are no restrictions to the theme, the means of production, number of performances or exact location within the ARToulu art-area. Artwork previously presented in Oulu will not be considered, including modified versions of these pieces. The performance must take place during the year 2026. The exact time(s) of the performances will be discussed together with the artist.

Applications to the open call can be made by sending in a project proposal, a portfolio and a CV. The project proposal does not need to include all details of the production –a clear overview of the final artwork is the most important. The application must be sent, all together, as one pdf file before October 13th, 2025 at 4pm, to the address: [email protected]. The application may be made in either Finnish or English. More detailed instructions for applying can be found at: https://artoulu.fi/artarea/open-call/

The selection of artwork will be curated based on the applications. The artist commits to realising their artwork as presented in the chosen proposal, once it has been selected into the programme. The project plan can be developed after having been chosen. A production contract will be made with the chosen artists and the artists will realise the artwork independently. A production fee of 2 000 € will be paid to the artist either by an invoice or as compensation for work (via tax card) if the artist does not have a Finnish business number. If more than one artist is involved in the production of the artwork, the fee will be divided between the artists.

The artwork will be chosen during the fall of 2025. The programme is curated by multidisciplinary artist Nestori Syrjälä, who is known for participatory performances in urban spaces. Syrjälä’s artwork ”Running Man” won the Kiasma award for public art in 2016.

Oulu is the European Capital of Culture for the year 2026. The ARToulu – art area, is produced by the Oulu Artist Association -63 ry, which is an association of professional visual artists in Northern Bothnia and Kainuu regions. The art area has been made possible through the Exploring ART project which is part of the Oulu2026 cultural programme and cultural climate change. More information can be found at: Euroopan kulttuuripääkaupunki Oulu2026