HomeCUNE Comics-in-Residence Programme

CUNE Comics-in-Residence Programme

Illustration by Josefin Svenske

CUNE Comics-in-Residence (CUNE CiR) gives comic artists and other professionals a chance to explore the culture, the people and the local comics scene of their neighbouring European countries. Through individual projects and collaboration with local comics actives, the artists can form new professional and personal ties and exchange essential know-how. CUNE CiR is supported by Nordic Culture Point and Arts Promotion Centre Finland.

CUNE CiR is primarily aimed at comic artists from the following 11 countries: Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and Russia. Artists from other European countries may apply as well.

Final residency selections for 2013

Applications for residencies in summer and autumn 2013 are now closed.

There were over 50 excellent applications this round, among which the residence coordinators chose the following 7 artists:

Helsinki, Finland: Matt Boyce (UK), Dace Sietina (LV) and Max Baitinger (DE)
Riga, Latvia: Emmi Valve (FI)
Tallinn, Estonia: Kathrin Klingner (DE)
Malmö, Sweden: Valentine Gallardo and Mathilde Vangheluwe (BE)

The applications for residencies in 2014 are scheduled to take place in Autumn 2013 and will be announced open here on the Nordicomics website at a later date.

CUNE CiR organisers

If you have questions about the programme in general or a specific residence, contact:

Programme and Helsinki residence coordinator
Maura Manninen / The Finnish Comics Society
[email protected]

Riga residence coordinators
David Schilter and Sanita Muižniece / kuš!komikss
[email protected]

Tallinn residence coordinator
Joonas Sildre / The Estonian Comics Society
[email protected]

Malmö residence coordinator
Fredrik Strömberg / The Swedish Comics Association
[email protected]

CUNE Comics-in-Residence is supported by Nordic Culture Point and Arts Promotion Centre Finland.

CUNE CiR Schedule

April
Riga: James Turek (US/DE)

May
Helsinki: Kristel Maamägi (EE)

August
Helsinki: Matt Boyce (UK)

September
Helsinki: Dace Sietina (LV)
Tallinn: Tommy A (NL)

October
Helsinki: Max Baitinger (DE)
Riga: Emmi Valve (FI)
Tallinn: Kathrin Klingner (DE)
Malmö: Valentine Gallardo and Mathilde Vangheluwe (BE)

CUNE CiR artists 2013

Riga, Latvia

James Turek (DE/US)
Turek will embark on a series of open workshops to places known or unknown in and around Riga. The sessions's aim is to draw in places and to interact with people one normally does not, and to bring a sense of adventure and fun to making comics.

Emmi Valve (FI)
Valve will create storytelling dioramas in the footsteps of Victorian taxidermists using mice, and explore the similarity of this technique to modern comics.

Helsinki, Finland

Kristel Maamägi (EE)
Maamägi's project will be a story about her grandmother and how it is possible to face life's everyday challenges in one's own creative way, and how not being an artist does not necessarily mean having to live an artless life.

Matt Boyce (UK)
Boyce's project will use the narrative of comics to communicate another visual tongue - sign language. As a bilingual native user of sign language, Boyce will tell stories of the residents of Helsinki and explore the differences between two national sign languages.

Dace Sietina (LV)
Sietina will create an installation for the Helsinki Comics Festival about an artist's mind, and the almost 'alien' qualities that are often connected to creators of all artforms.

Max Baitinger (DE)
Baitinger will construct cut-up comics stories out of pieces of diaries, everyday scenes, or found anecdotes with local artists.

Tallinn, Estonia

Tommy A (NL)
In his project, Tommy will explore the gap between comics and high art and its complexity in an essay drawn as a comic, using the language of the medium to fully illustrate the unique aspects of comics.

Kathrin Klingner (DE)
Klingner will work on her collection of stories from the notorious redlight district in St.Pauli, Hamburg. She will also create stories of people's curious private moments in public spaces based on overheard conversation and the artist's observations.

Malmö, Sweden

Valentine Gallardo and Mathilde Vangheluwe (BE)
Gallardo and Vangheluwe will work on stories about their childhood memories, particularly of certain news events that happened twenty years ago and that changed their lives.

Nordic Culture Fund

Arts Promotion Centre Finland

Finnish Comics Society

Nordicomics and its projects are funded by Nordic Culture Point, Nordic Culture Fund, Arts Promotion Centre Finland and the Finnish Comics Society. All images are the copyright of their respective owners.