News
Black Art, White Walls: Brussels reflections 6 months in
When Black art enters historically white institutions, what changes and what remains? In this reflection, our Programme Assistant, Joséphine Gram explores her experiences of Brussels’ cultural scene.
Participants selected for visual arts study trip to Amsterdam
Participants for the visual arts study trip to Amsterdam organised by the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux have been selected. Taking place in collaboration with Amsterdam Art Week the group will visit Amsterdam 20.–23.5.2025.
Antti Uimonen explores change in “Unfolding” at Barker Theatre in Turku
Turku’s Barker Theatre presents “Unfolding” by Antti Uimonen, the Finnish choreographer, performer, and artistic researcher based in Amsterdam. Catch the performance 21.-23.3.2025.
Opportunity: Svenska kulturfonden internship at the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux
Svenska kulturfonden (The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland) is accepting applications 15.3.-31.3.2025, for internships starting in August. Join our team in Brussels! Read the full call in Swedish.
Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons presents the 2025 spring programme featuring Kristiina Koskentola
The exhibition and public programme “Sensing the Ways” explores ways of knowing through movement and the body, shaped by deep connections with nature and spirit. Opens 22.3.2025 at Casco Art Institute, Utrecht.
Join the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux as our next EDUFI intern
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux seeks a new Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) intern for a 4-month internship starting in August 2025. The application round is open 27.2.–13.3.2025. Good luck!
Radical visibility: The power of Disability art with Jenni-Juulia Wallinheimo-Heimonen
Our Communications Assistant, Maija Lindström, reflects on the opening of Wallinheimo-Heimonen’s first solo exhibition in the Netherlands and the need for more spaces centering Disabled voices.
Living and working in Brussels: A personal perspective with Laura Boxberg
Catch up with our Director, Laura Boxberg, as she shares her experience of living and working in the heart of Europe, along with tips and recommendations for Brussels!
Join our new intensive Finnish for Beginners course starting online this March!
Start learning Finnish with us this spring. Study Finnish online from anywhere in the world with live online classes twice a week. Classes begin 17.3.2025. Register now!
Everyday Priorities—Art, Technology and Accommodations 2025
Join us in Amsterdam and Helsinki for a series of gatherings and new artistic commissions exploring equity, access, and new artistic practices with Joy Mariama Smith and Flis Holland.
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux is looking for a new Director in Brussels
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux is seeking a new Director in Brussels for a four-year term starting on 1.10.2025. The deadline for applications is 28.2.2025. Read the full call in Finnish.
What’s happening in Oulu in 2026?
Oulu has been named the 2026 European Capital of Culture. Celebrating its arts scene, it will feature festivals, exhibitions and indigenous Sámi artists. Discover what the programme has to offer and how to get there!
Meet Maija: Our new intern joining the team in Brussels
Introducing Maija, our new intern from Finland! With a background in sociology, global politics, and a passion for media and culture, she’s excited to explore Brussels and make an impact in the cultural sector. Welcome, Maija!
Open Call: Visual Arts Study Trip to Amsterdam in May 2025
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux invites Finland-based visual arts professionals to a study trip in the Netherlands, May 2025. Explore art institutions, join Amsterdam Art Week, and foster collaboration. Apply by 14.2.2025.
Jenni-Juulia Wallinheimo-Heimonen: When I grow up, I will become a coat rack
Fresh from representing Finland at the 2024 Venice Biennale, Wallinheimo-Heimonen debuts her first exhibition in the Netherlands, opening 7.2.2025, at 1646 in The Hague.
Institute office closed for the holiday season 2024-25
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux will be closed for the holidays from 23.12.2024 until 7.1.2025. We wish you a restful holiday and a peaceful start to the new year.
EUNIC Mobility Days in Brussels: evaluating cultural collaboration in the heart of Europe
In early December EUNIC cluster members gathered in Brussels to exchange ideas, strengthen networks, and explore impactful collaborations.
Sebastian (2024): Finnish Director Mikko Mäkelä’s Queer Drama Hits Belgian Cinemas in November
Finnish-British director Mikko Mäkelä’s latest film Sebastian (2024) hits cinemas across Belgium 27.11.2024. Read Joséphine’s Gram’s insightful review.
“ONE DROP gives Blackness space to breathe” – Joséphine Gram on Sonya Lindfors’ latest work in Brussels
Our Programme Assistant Joséphine Gram shares what it meant to her to experience Sonya Lindfors‘ ONE DROP at Beursschouwburg in Brussels.
Sonya Lindfors returns to Brussels with a powerful confrontation of race, rhythm, and resistance
On 18 and 19 October 2024, acclaimed Cameroonian-Finnish choreographer Sonya Lindfors returns to Beursschouwburg, Brussels with her groundbreaking performance, One Drop.
Boys Won’t Be Boys & the softer side of masculinity – Eero Nurmi ruminates on the Oulu shows
Discover what the socially-oriented Dutch theatre production Boys Won’t Be Boys stirred up in our EDUFI intern Eero Nurmi during his time supporting the performances at Oulun teatteri.
Join us in Brussels as our next EDUFI intern
Apply to become our next EDUFI intern. The 5-month internship starts in January 2025 at the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux office in Brussels. Application deadline 10.10.2024 16:15. Good luck!
Choreographing change: Sonya Lindfors on art, power, and speculative decolonial dreaming
In May 2023, Institut finlandais interviewed Sonya Lindfors, to discuss her career and her new work ONE DROP (2023) which will be performanced at Beursschouwburg, Brussels this October.
“Boys Won’t Be Boys was a transformative experience” – in conversation with Daniel Woodward
Cast member Daniel Woodward reflects on his powerful performance in Helsinki and shares what he’s looking forward to in Oulu on September 20 and 21.
Contemporary circus duo Jam.Shenanigans takes their tour to Finland
Rotterdam-based circus artists Batist Van Baekel and Henri Kangas head to four Finnish cities with their performance “Shenanigans,” with support from the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux.
Welcome Joséphine, our new SKF intern!
This week, we’re excited to welcome our new Programme Assistant, Joséphine Gram! Keep reading to learn more about Joséphine and what she’s looking forward to in the months ahead.
Apply now: Rijksakademie Residency 2025/26
The Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten is a residency programme that offers artists space for research, experimentation and for the production of new work. The residency is open to visual artists from all countries and all disciplines. Deadline 1.10.2024.
Finland is not an island: a letter from the Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes ahead of budget negotiations
Hanna Lämsä, Executive Director of the Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes has sent a letter to parliamentary groups ahead of budget negotiations in Finland this week. Read the letter in Finnish.
Alvar Aalto Medal 2024 goes to Belgian architect Marie-José Van Hee
The fifteenth Alvar Aalto Medal has been awarded to Belgian architect Marie-José Van Hee. The medal is presented at a ceremony in the University of Jyväskylä’s main building on 22.8.2024, coinciding with the Alvar Aalto Symposium.
Apply Now: Finnish Cultural Foundation & MORPHO Residency Programme for Visual Artists
Follow in the footsteps of Finnish visual artist Meri Toivanen and apply for the Finnish Cultural Foundation and MORPHO residency programme in Antwerp, Belgium. Deadline: 30.8.2024.