Artica Svalbard søker en ny daglig leder som kan ta organisasjonen videre inn i neste kapittel.

Artica Svalbard and the Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2027 OCA + Artica Svalbard Residency Programme.

Artica Svalbard is pleased to welcome back artist Jessica MacMillan for a second residency in Longyearbyen. Jessica is an artist and amateur astronomer based in Oslo whose practice spans sculpture, installation, 3D animation, and light. Her work explores astronomy, planetary science, and deep time through ordinary found objects and optical instruments, creating experiences that connect everyday life with the vast cosmic scales that surround us.

We are pleased to welcome artist Laura J. Lawson to Longyearbyen for a residency this month. Working across painting, sculpture, sound, and writing, her practice explores planetary science, outer space, and humanity’s relationship to environments both familiar and unknown. During her residency, Lawson will continue developing a long-term project inspired by upcoming missions to Europa, Jupiter’s ice-covered moon.

Before departing Longyearbyen, current residents Celine Charveriat and Soghra Khurasani joined Residency & Community Coordinator Sally Hovelsø for a trip to Bjørndalen, one of the most accessible locations to observe Svalbard reindeer in their natural habitat.

We are pleased to share that Artica Svalbard alumni Andrea Pagnes and Verena Stenke (VestAndPage) will present a conference paper at the International Network of Experimental Fiction Filmmaking (INEFF) conference at the University of Salford in Manchester, UK, taking place 18–19 June 2026.

We are pleased to announce that Artica Svalbard has qualified as an Active Member of the Gallery Climate Coalition for 2025–26.

We are pleased to share a new in-depth interview with independent curatorial platform Nordrom Kunst, titled Art, Territory and Complexity in the High Arctic. The conversation reflects on Artica Svalbard’s approach to contemporary artistic practice in the Arctic and explores how culture can respond to environmental change, geopolitics, migration, tourism and everyday life in Svalbard.

Today marks the beginning of the Tarandus field-based residency, as the first group of researchers departed for the remote field cabin in Reindalen. Joining them is the first artist in residence of the programme, German multidisciplinary artist Ida Freya Köhn, who will spend the coming weeks living and working alongside scientists, students, and field assistants in the High Arctic tundra.

Current Artica Svalbard resident Audun Aagre has now set off to retrace parts of the historic 1906 scientific expedition to North-West Spitsbergen, led by Prince Albert I of Monaco and Norwegian polar scientist Gunnar Isachsen. A journalist, documentary filmmaker, author and senior advisor at the Norwegian Media Authority, Aagre is spending his residency researching and beginning work on a new nonfiction book exploring how the expedition contributed to laying the groundwork for Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard.

We are pleased to announce the publication of Artica Writings 2024: Svalbard’s International Community, the latest edition in Artica Svalbard’s book series. This limited-edition publication explores the personal stories and experiences of international residents living in Svalbard, reflecting on belonging, identity, and life within one of the world’s most internationally diverse Arctic communities.

Last week, Residency Coordinator Sally Hovelsø led current residents Celine Charveriat, Audun Aagre, Soghra Khurasani, Jennifer Redfearn, and Tim Metzger on a hike to Sarkofagen, one of the mountains overlooking Longyearbyen and Adventdalen.

Celine Charveriat joins Artica Svalbard this May to develop an arts-based project exploring interspecies equity and Arctic futures. Working across policy, research, and international cooperation for nearly 30 years, Charveriat’s recent work increasingly focuses on the intersection of arts, science, and environmental futures.

We are excited to welcome journalist, documentary filmmaker, and author Audun Aagre to Artica Svalbard for a residency from May–June 2026, nominated by the Norsk Faglitterær Forfatter og Oversetterforening. Aagre has worked extensively across Norwegian media, including Aftenposten, VG, NRK, and SVT, and has published several books combining text and photography. Alongside his work in politics, culture, and technology, he has maintained a long-standing interest in Arctic history.

We are pleased to welcome artist and printmaker Soghra Khurasani to Artica Svalbard for a residency from May to June 2026, nominated by the Queen Sonja Print Award. Based in Vadodara, Gujarat, Khurasani works across printmaking to explore themes of memory, trauma, ecology, and transformation.

We are pleased to welcome filmmaker Jennifer Redfearn and cinematographer Tim Metzger to Artica Svalbard this month. During their time on Svalbard, Jennifer and Tim will begin developing a new documentary project. Rooted in cinéma vérité observation, the work will explore how environment, geopolitics, and rapid change shape life in the archipelago.

We are pleased to share that Artica Svalbard alumni Bianca Hisse and Christian Danielewitz are currently presenting their collaborative exhibition Rivers End at Kunstnerforbundet in Oslo. Developed through fieldwork in both Svalbard and Zambia, Rivers End explores rivers as acoustic environments—spaces where listening becomes a way of sensing infrastructures, ecological change, and the distribution of power.

Are you working on a non-fiction project related to the Arctic or the high north? NFFO, in collaboration with Artica Svalbard, invites its members to apply for a writing residency in Longyearbyen.

Artica Svalbard is pleased to announce that our Annual Report for 2025 is now available to read online in both Norwegian and English.

2025 marked a year of significant growth, expanded activity, and deepened engagement across our programme. We presented our most extensive public programme to date, with a shift towards more frequent, participatory events shaped by community feedback. Alongside this, we continued to develop our residency programme, welcoming a wide range of artists, writers, and researchers, while strengthening our commitment to sustainability, long-term stays, and meaningful local connection.

Nieminen is a data scientist with a background in mathematics and theoretical philosophy, currently pursuing a PhD focused on counterfactual reasoning. With over fifteen years of experience as a software developer, his work bridges technical expertise with philosophical inquiry, exploring the political and symbolic dimensions of state presence in fragile environments.