Art Centre Haihatus is participating in the international Waves of Creativity residency project, which brings together Ukrainian photographic artists and arts organisations from Finland, Estonia, Germany and Ukraine.
Launched in May and running until the end of September, the residency programme has provided Ukrainian photographic artists with time and space for artistic work, opportunities to build international networks, and the possibility to continue their professional practice amid the war.
Through an open call, eleven Ukrainian photographic artists were selected for the programme. They have either worked as photographers on the front lines during Russia’s war of aggression or documented the war and its impacts in other ways.
The participating artists are Mykyta Bezus, Oxana Chorna, Iryna Klachek, Olia Koval, Herman Krieger, Ievgeniia Kupchan, Valentyn Kuzan, Oleh Pereverziev, Alina Prisich, Olesia Saienko and Elena Subach.
Working, community and space to create
Waves of Creativity consists of residency periods in Finland, Estonia and Germany. In Finland, the artists are hosted by Art Centre Haihatus in Joutsa.
At Haihatus, the artists work as part of a multidisciplinary and international community. The residency offers large, versatile workspaces, private rooms with kitchenettes, and a setting close to nature where artists can focus on their work and unwind.
During their residencies, the artists have taken part in meetings, studio visits, excursions and artist talks, while also becoming acquainted with the Finnish arts and cultural scene. The programme has included visits to art exhibitions in Helsinki, Jyväskylä and Sysmä, as well as opportunities to experience local culture and everyday life in Joutsa – not forgetting Finnish sauna culture. Local mentors have supported the participants in building new professional networks.
The programme also takes into account the impact of the war on the artists’ work and well-being. During their residencies, participants are offered psychological support through regular therapy sessions.
Works created during the residencies will be exhibited in October 2026 at OKAPI Galerii in Tallinn.
Meet the artists throughout September
Throughout September, we will introduce the artists who have taken part in the project on Haihatus’s social media channels, sharing their work and their experiences of the residency in Joutsa.
The series offers a glimpse into the artists’ creative processes and explores the significance that the environment, community and opportunity to focus on one’s own practice can take on during a residency.
An international collaboration
Art Centre Haihatus’s project partners are Kunstverein Wagenhalle, a cultural centre based in Stuttgart, Germany, and Odesa Photo Days, based in Odesa, Ukraine, which works to strengthen the international networks of Ukrainian photographers.
The lead coordinator of the Waves of Creativity project is OKAPI Galerii, based in Tallinn.
The Waves of Creativity project has received funding from the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. In Finland, the programme’s Creative Europe Culture Desk is hosted by the Finnish National Agency for Education.