On the Urgency to reIMAGINE, reCLAIM, and reSTRUCURE

Three weeks of collective exchange, activation and practices of commoning for mutual support at Redukt_Studio in Kallio from 5th-25th January. Let´s start 2026 with a grip!

If you would like to contribute, email us:
artivism4ct@proton.me


Proposal:

 For three weeks, Redukt_Studio in Kallio will function as a small-scale hub for collective exchange, activation, and practices of commoning. Artists, collectives, cultural workers, and activists are invited to come together to exchange on the conditions of artistic labor in 2026 Finland amid funding cuts, the rise of right-wing policies, institutional repression, restrictive immigration laws and growing unemployment.

This initiative is funded on the idea that, in times of precarity, we cannot rely solely on institutional funding systems or individual survival strategies. Instead, we need to get together and explore how communities can actively share common resources, knowledge, and tools to sustain one another and our practices.

If this resonates with you, we would like to invite you to:

a) take part by hosting activities such as workshops, presentations, discussions, collective reading, screenings, performances, movement-based sessions or any other activity that might fit to the space and proposal to exchange thoughts, and reflect on the current conditions of artistic labor, propose alternatives, and explore existing infrastructures for mutual support.

b) use the space for small groups or collectives to meet according to their own needs, as a place to rethink strategies, priorities, and ways of working together in 2026.

The aim is to offer this space over a period of three weeks to collectively reimagine, reclaim, and restructure how we (as artists, activists, cultural workers) could navigate the coming year beyond competitive funding structures and individual-led project models → toward forms of cooperation that strengthen collective agency in our practices.

Why this? Because we believe that shared narratives, shared tools, and shared infrastructures can mobilize collective action and solidarity. None of these practices will be able to replace the structures of state funding or cancel oppressive concentrations of power any time soon, but we hope they do open up space to find ways to support each other, build solidarity, and to regain a sense of futurity together as we dive into the new year.

Note: the space is tiny (15 people max.) Private events for small collectives or groups will be hosted during the week, with public events on weekends. An archive from the insights of all the activities and discussions during the weeks will be gathered in the space (open format) and displayed during the final weekend as a public event.


Goals:

  • Strengthen networks and alliances among artists, collectives, activists, and cultural workers, including Finnish and non-Finns practitioners.

  • Develop concrete ideas for mutual support, collective organising, and future initiatives.

  • Create a shared archive of tools, resources, and proposals.

  • Foster a sense of agency, mutual support, and collective direction heading into 2026

Important to consider:

  • This is not a residency and does not require full-time presence.

  • Participation can be flexible and adapted to your availability.

  • Redukt_Space will function as a shared working environment for activation, not as a gallery for contemplation in the traditional sense.

  • The final public sharing is process-based and collective.

  • This initiative is not (only and exclusively) a gathering for venting or ranting about the current situation in the field. While this is very much needed, we would also like to put the emphasis on identifying shared challenges and exchanging tools and experiences, to working toward concrete ideas, structures, or proposals that could be taken forward collectively.

Guiding Questions:

  • How can we envision new forms of artistic collaboration and collective practice that move beyond reliance on institutional funding or individual-led models?

  • How can artists make a living without selling their souls !!??

  • Which existing tools, initiatives, and shared resources (physical or digital) can we reclaim, adapt, or repurpose to strengthen solidarity, sustainability, and mutual support in our communities during these precarious times?

  • How to build alternative art institutions from the bottom-up?

  • How do grants, funding systems shape artistic labor and collective agency? What can we do about it?

  • How can technology help artists work together in decentralized, cooperative ways, and support alternative economic models and economic agency in the field?

  • Topics are open to other suggestions and needs.

    Programme Structure (Draft):

    Week 1 — reIMAGINE (5-11 January)

    Redukt_Space will be available during weekdays as a low-threshold meeting point where those interested can drop in, talk, read, and think together about the year ahead and the conditions shaping their work.

    • Informal conversations, coffee, shared time
    • Mapping shared concerns, pressures, and desires
    • Reading groups, screenings
    • Optional: A public performance or sharing during the weekend

    Week 2 — reCLAIM (12-18 January)

    The second week shifts toward active engagement and exchange. Through targeted invitations, practitioners are invited to propose and host panels, workshops, or working sessions responding to the programme’s guiding questions. The purpose of the week is to reclaim agency by exchanging practices, building alliances, and identifying tools, infrastructures, and strategies that already exist or could be developed collectively.

    • Panels, workshops, and open discussions
    • Space for collectives and small groups to meet and work
    • Sharing tools, strategies, and existing initiatives
    • Optional: A public programme over the weekend

    Week 3 — reSTRUCTURE (19-25 January)

    The final week is a more focused synthesis and structuring phase, a “group core”. The aim is not to resolve everything, but to analyze what has emerged and push it toward something concrete.

    • Collective analysis of the insights from the weeks
    • Identifying what is actionable
    • Organise the materials into a shared archive

    The week concludes with an open public event, presenting the archive and outcomes generated during the week.


    Redukt_Studio:


    More info about the space could be found here: https://www.redukt.fi/reduktstudio


    If you would like to contribute, email us with your proposal and dates to:
    artivism4ct@proton.me