Apply for an Exhibition

The Gallery hosts a total of eight illustration exhibitions each year, and the space offers an inspirational glance into the world of Finnish illustration. At the same time, the gallery aims to develop open-minded and experimental approaches to exhibiting and sharing information on illustration.

Each year in September, we organize an open call for applications to exhibit. The next application period will be September 1 – October 1, 2023. At that time, applications will be accepted for exhibitions from February 2024 to January 2025. The association will give notice of the beginning of the application period in its member newsletter, on its website, and on social media.

The call for applications is intended for all professional illustrators working in Finland as well as Finnish illustrators working outside of the country. Applicants do not need to be members of the Finnish Illustration Association. Membership may however be used as a decision criterion where the panel has to choose between two applications of equal merit.  

Applications are accepted from individual artists, pairs, and groups. At least one member of the group must be a professional illustrator.

Gallery Space

Galleria Kuvitus is located next to the offices of the Finnish Illustration Association in the Kallio district of Helsinki. The gallery is open from 12:00 to 17:00 on Thursdays and Fridays and from 12:00 to 16:00 on Saturdays. The gallery space (approx. 15 m²) features three walls on which works can be hanged and a window that opens to Hämeentie. The window and the platform in front of it can be used for the exhibitions. The space offers plenty of natural light. The walls are white and the floor gray. It is possible to paint the walls if this is essential for the design of the exhibition. The room height is approximately 3 meters. The gallery is equipped with fluorescent tubes and a few spotlights. Where necessary, exhibitions can extend to the downstairs conference room (if, for example, the exhibition includes an animation or some other element that requires a darkened room. The exhibitor will primarily be responsible for presentation technology).

Gallery layout, Ilja Karsikas 2018

The windows and door of the gallery, Jukka Pylväs 2019

How the Exhibitions Are Chosen

The panel that chooses the exhibitions changes each year. The panel consists of a single illustrator who is a member of the board of the association and two external specialists in the fields of design, art, education, and/or advertising invited to join the panel. The curator of the gallery acts as the non-voting secretary of the panel and as the contact person for exhibitors after the selection process. The curator is also responsible for the detailed content and presentation of the exhibitions. Exhibitions are chosen on the basis of the artistic level and originality of the applications, the feasibility of the ideas presented, and the area of illustration that the application concerns. (The same type or style of illustration will not be exhibited twice in a row). All applicants will be notified of the decisions within two months of the end of the application period.

Exhibition Service Fee

• Members of the Finnish Illustration Association 0 €

• Illustrators who are not members of the Association 800 €

Our exhibition service fee comprises the rent and maintenance of the gallery space, provision of information, photography, primary supervision of the exhibition (the exhibitor will participate in the supervision for a total of 2 x 4 hours), and general presentation and customer service. If they so wish, all exhibitors will be provided advice and assistance with regard to the design and setup of the exhibition, the decisions regarding the exhibited works, the pricing, and the organization of the opening of the exhibition. The gallery will provide information on exhibitions on its website, through email, and on social media platforms. The gallery works together with various local events, which means that exhibitions can be included as parts of larger events (such as Helsinki Design Week, Art Fair Finland, or the Baltic Sea Day). In such situations, images and information pertaining to an exhibition may also be shared in connection to the visual identity of cooperating partners.

Sales Commission

The gallery will not charge a sales commission for any works sold.

Exhibitor Compensation

The association will pay exhibitors a fee of 100 euros for organizing an exhibition. The compensation for an organized exhibition is the same regardless of whether the exhibition in question is a group or individual exhibition. 

Responsibilities of the Exhibitor

The exhibitor will be responsible for the cost of materials, transport, printing, and framing for their works. The exhibitor will be responsible for any insurance coverage for their works. If a work requires specific technical solutions or other equipment, the exhibitor must be prepared to obtain/borrow the required items or share the resulting costs with the association in a manner agreed on a case-by-case basis. Exhibitors are expected to provide images for advance promotion purposes, participate in the setup of the exhibition with the gallery staff, and supervise their exhibition on two Saturdays from 12:00 to 16:00. The association will supervise the exhibition at other times. The exhibitor is personally responsible for dismantling their exhibition.