Photo: Petri Summanen
A decade of support for the University of the Arts Helsinki
Saastamoinen Foundation has been a central collaboration partner for Uniarts Helsinki since 2015. The Foundation has provided major support for the international mobility of young artists at Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts, residency programmes both at home and abroad, and research into analogue imagery.
Residencies
Saastamoinen Foundation supports the international networking of young artists by funding residency periods abroad for alumni of the Academy of Fine Arts. Saastamoinen Foundation supports the participation of Academy of Fine Arts alumni in international residency programmes at five residencies each year.
Photo: Jan van Eyck Academie
Saastamoinen Keynote in Arts
Saastamoinen Foundation promotes responsible expertise and thinking through supporting science and art. Working in partnership with the Academy of Fine Arts at the Uniarts Helsinki, the Saastamoinen Keynote in Arts lecture series is a vital element in the Academy of Fine Arts’ internationalisation programme. The keynote lecture explores the potential of art education to bring about change and its role in the pursuit of democracy and global fairness.
Each year, the lecture series invites an internationally renowned curator, artist or researcher to Helsinki to open a discussion about interesting topical themes relating to the world of contemporary art. The lectures focus on developing the knowledge required by artists to set off on diverse career paths internationally and reflect on the different creative reactions of artists to the challenges of globalisation.
Stan Douglas
Photo: Michael Courtney
Mentoring programmes
The Academy of Fine Arts’ international mentoring programme offers a mentoring model that involves internationally successful artists, curators and art executives, with the aim of supporting recent MFA graduates and deepening their understanding of what it means to practice in an internationally networked art world.
Enabled by Saastamoinen Foundation, the programme aims to establish a supportive peer group for intensive learning, exchange, and professional development during the early post-graduation period. Facilitated and led by international mentors, the programme combines group-based mentoring, individual guidance, and excursions to key art scenes in Europe.
Applications for the mentoring program starting in 2026 are now open!
Photo: Petri Summanen
Research in analogue image
In the age of digitalisation, the significance of analogue art forms persists. In order to preserve this traditional art form and to strengthen the international top-level expertise in the field, Saastamoinen Foundation has supported the establishment of a three-year post-doctoral research programme at the Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts. The research project focuses on examining still and moving images and their techniques within the borderlines of analogue and digital mediums.