2025 Residency For Ukrainian Artists In Riga

ISSP, kuš! comics, and TUR are offering a funded residency in Riga, Latvia for three Ukrainian artists from May to December 2025. The programme is dedicated to Ukrainian artists and cultural professionals.

Overview

The residency offers a possibility to implement or continue developing an artistic project, work on a personal archive and explore the local art and culture scene. 

Each partner organisation will host one resident from the following professional fields: ISSP will host a photographer or artist working with photography; kuš! will take care of a comics artist or other professional working in the field of comics; TUR will select an artist or culture professional working with the visual arts in the broadest sense (artists, curators, researchers, and educators are eligible).

Practical Info

Applicants must complete the online application form, including a link to their website or portfolio, a short outline of their artistic background and interests, an explanation of why they would like to participate in the residency in Riga, and a preliminary idea of what they would like to focus on during their stay. There are no limitations regarding age, background or artistic style of the participants. The residents will be accepted based on the strength of their portfolio, residency calendar, and possibilities for local engagement. The residency is for one or two months during the period May – December 2025, depending on the preferences of the residents. The residency calendar is based on full month slots, from the first to the last day of the month. 

Selected artists will be offered a stay at the comfortable residency apartment in the center of Riga, a €1,000 scholarship per the whole period of the residency, plus up to €250 to cover transportation costs. Additionally, the receiving organization provides an invitation letter that the residents can use for applying for additional funding, along with regular support from the residency coordinator and engagement in the activities of the corresponding organization (suggestions, contacts and insights into the local contemporary art scene). Additional resources (e.g. studio space or extra equipment) may be provided by a receiving organisation.

The residents are requested to work on their artistic project/research in Riga, Latvia for the period of the residency, to be open to interact with the local audience in the form of an artist talk or other public event, and to provide them with feedback and documentation of the residency and copies of produced work to use for publicity purposes, within one month upon the completion of the residency.

The artists-in-residence will reside in a fully equipped, spacious residency apartment close to the city centre (Brīvības Street 190, Riga). The residency is jointly managed by ISSP, kuš! and TUR and will be shared with other residents in the field of visual arts. Each artist will have a private bedroom equipped with a working table and have access to a shared living room, fully equipped kitchen and 2 bathrooms. Other facilities: wi-fi, scanner. The apartment is located on the 3rd floor, there is no elevator in the building.

About ISSP

ISSP is a platform for contemporary photography, art and education. ISSP organizes local and international education and exchange programmes, produces exhibitions, publications and events. The ISSP School offers educational programmes, masterclasses and mentoring programmes, nurturing a new generation of local photographers and artists. The ISSP Gallery is the central exhibition and events space for contemporary photography in Riga.

About kuš!

kuš! is a comic art publisher from Latvia founded in Riga in 2007. It is most well known for its signature pocket-sized anthologies and its mini-kuš! series. The aims of kuš! are to popularize comics in a country where this medium is practically non-existent and to promote Latvian comics abroad. kuš! doesn't just publish paper-back comic books, it also organizes exhibitions, workshops, residencies, comic jams and other comic related events, as well as traveling to international festivals to spread the Latvian comic fever.

About TUR

TUR, Contemporary Space for Art, is mostly known for curated art exhibitions in its characteristic industrial-meets-white-cube space at the core of one of Riga’s cultural quarters. With a focus on artistic experimentation, interdisciplinary exchange, and public engagement beyond the traditional art scene, TUR fosters a dynamic platform for innovative contemporary art and dialogue.