As we head into 2026, Institute Director Johanna Råman shares an overview of our programming, roadmap, and vision for the year ahead.
The New Year marks a renewed commitment to advancing international collaboration in the arts and culture. The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux’s 2026 programme will span multiple artistic disciplines and engage with key societal themes, including artistic freedom, equity and environmental issues. This spring we are excited to be supporting artists Terike Haapoja, Biret Haarla Pieski, Milla Koistinen, Maria Nurmela, Ville Oinonen, Erno Seppälä, and Juha Vehmaanperä, to name a few.
In 2026, our activities will place particular emphasis on networking among cultural and art professionals. The first international networking event will be organised in connection with the 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam that presents a vibrant and wide-ranging selection of Finnish productions and co-productions. There will be opportunities for further exchange later in the year with some very exciting study trips as well.
This year we will also be a part of the project Zoop Connections II, an international residency programme based in the Netherlands that strengthens the role of culture in responding to the current climate and ecological crises. The project brings together international artists with local professionals and creative cultural institutions through the lens of the Zoop model, a governance framework developed in the Netherlands that formally represents more-than-human interests. In 2026, 7 artists from different European countries will reside with “Zoops” (local artistic organisations that have adopted the Zoop model) in the Netherlands for 28 days. The project is led by DutchCulture with the Zoönomic Institute and EUNIC Netherlands members.
The location of the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux in Brussels also offers a unique opportunity to actively engage in EU-level cultural policy advocacy and dialogue. This work will be continued and further strengthened during the 2026 operating year, with in-person meetings with MEPs and participation in key cultural policy discussions within our networks. The founding idea of the European Union to foster peace and reconciliation (and later values of democracy and human rights) feels more relevant than ever.
The current strategy period of the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux will conclude at the end of 2026, and preparation for the next strategy period will begin this year.
We’re heading into a year filled with collaboration, creativity, ambition, and purpose!
Cover image: Earth Song (Strana axê) dir. Erol Mintaş, Finland, Germany, IFFR Harbour 2026.