Activities // Open Calls

CreArt Oulu and Galleria MABD are opening a call for artists in the CreArt network as part of the European Month of Creativity festival in Oulu in May 2026. 

Galleria MABD is a privately owned gallery located in one of the Oulu landmarks in Oulu city centre. Galleria MABD is part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture program with a goal to internationalise the Oulu art scene, bring art to people, and build a network of artists and galleries, for making organising exhibitions abroad easier.   

The open call is aimed at visual artists in the CreArt network. We are looking for a complete exhibition setup that is easily transportable to Galleria MABD or can be produced in Oulu for the exhibition. There is about 90 m2 exhibition space to fill. Please note that Galleria MABD uses cords & hooks hanging system. No nails or screws can be used to hang artworks. All Galleria MABD’s exhibitions feature artworks for sale.

The goal of the call is to create an inspiring exhibition to introduce European art for Oulu residents and visitors alike as part of the European Month of Creativity in May 2026.   

The exhibition call is open from 25 November to 5 January 2026. 

Artist selection will be made by 16 January 2026. Selected artist or the group of artists will be notified of the selection separately to initiate travel and accommodation arrangements. The artist or the group of artists are published as part of the communication of the CreArt project and Galleria MABD’s marketing campaigns. 

 The artist applying for the residency must have been born or live in one of the cities in the CreArt 3.0 network: Kaunas (Lithuania), Liepaja (Latvia), Skopje (North Macedonia), Aveiro (Portugal), Valladolid (Spain), Lublin (Poland), Venice (Italy), Clermont-Ferrand and Rouen (France), Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic) and Regensburg (Germany). 

In addition, HDLU (Croatian Association of Visual Artists) members can apply for the residency period. Ukrainian artists apply in cooperation with Lviv Artistic Council Dialogue. 

 The exhibition period is 6-31 May 2026 (four weeks). Installation period is 4-5 May 2026 (Monday-Tuesday). The vernissage of the exhibition is on Tuesday 5 May 2026. 

Description of the work plan  

The work plan for the exhibition must include a brief description of the theme, introduction of the artist or the group of artists with photographs of the artwork suggested for the exhibition. The artist applying must submit a CV and a portfolio (including work samples in a suitable file format) and a copy of the passport. 

Exhibition fees and other costs 

The exhibition plan must detail an estimate of the shipment of the artworks or the production costs onsite. After the exhibition, the works will be shipped without frames. 

The exhibition period in Oulu includes: 

-the artist's fee of €500/gross for participation in the exhibition
-daily allowances for working days in Oulu (€53/day)
-travel expenses: direct trips between the artist’s hometown and Oulu
-maximum of one week accommodation, studio apartment in the center of Oulu, to install the exhibition and be present in the opening

A cooperation agreement with the CreArt Oulu will be drawn up for the implementation of the selected artist or group of artists. 

Selection criteria 

The artist or the group of artists is selected by Galleria MABD’s gallerist Hanna Manninen based on the submitted work plans. The work plan must support the goals of the CreArt 3.0 project in general. 

Portfolio delivery and application deadline

Register on the intranet of the CreArt project and upload your portfolio by the deadline of Monday 5 January 2026. 

For inquiries about the Open Call: Project Coordinator Taina Kulmala, Taina.Kulmala@ouka.fi, tel. +358 40 1217 718.

For inquiries about Galleria MABD: Hanna Manninen, hanna@mabd.fi, tel. +358 40 1780 980.

 

 

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