Maaijke Middelbeek
During my residency as part of the Helsinki International Artist Programme (HIAP), I lived and worked on the island of Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gulf of Finland – about a 15–30 minute ferry ride from central Helsinki. Suomenlinna is a place of peculiar intensity: steeped in history, surrounded by the sea, and permeated by a quiet, meditative atmosphere.
HIAP is the largest international artist-in-residence program in Scandinavia and deeply rooted in the Finnish art scene. The dedicated team strikes a wonderful balance between professional structure and personal engagement. From the very beginning, I felt genuinely welcomed – the organization is professional yet open and human. Spacious studios, rich opportunities for exchange, and an inspiring accompanying program characterize the experience there.
During my stay, I continued my ongoing research on the transformation into Homo PHO₂TOsynthesis – a chimeric life form symbiotically intertwined with the photosynthetic metabolism of algae. This concept serves as a speculative response to the current CO₂ load in the atmosphere and as an attempt to imagine posthuman models of coexistence between humans and algae.
The bright studio on Suomenlinna, located directly by the sea, proved to be an ideal setting for this work: a resonant space of light, air, and water. I was also able to cultivate algae strains from the Baltic Sea – despite the warmer room temperature compared to the Finmari laboratory, they developed surprisingly well. The daily presence of the sea, the shifting light, and the island’s silence became organic components of the project itself.
The Open Studio Day marking the end of the residency offered an opportunity to share insights into ongoing processes and to engage in dialogue with colleagues and visitors. HIAP places great value on respecting individual artistic approaches – whether completed works, open experiments, or discursive formats. This openness enabled encounters that transcended disciplinary boundaries.
Looking back, HIAP was for me a place of both concentration and permeability – a laboratory for artistic thinking that connects research, materiality, and ecological imagination. Suomenlinna remains in my memory as a space of transition: between land and sea, history and the present, body and algae.
| 1. | My stay in one word: |
| Epic | |
| 2. | Dos & Don’ts in this place: |
| Do: Sauna, Mölkky, morning or evening walks (fewer tourists). Don’t: Tease the geese – and be careful with ice cream or bread by the sea! The seagulls on the island are rebellious and clever; they’ll outsmart you and snatch it away. |
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| 3. | Things I miss since I am no longer there: |
| The island life, our sauna sessions – and diving into the icy sea in between. | |
| 4. | Where to shop great supplies: |
| Hobbypoint (right next to a great, affordable vintage shop where you can find everything – from shells and wool to clothing), as well as K-Rauta and Clas Ohlson. | |
| 5. | What you should definitely bring with you from home: |
| A sauna towel (if you plan to go often and don’t want to wash it constantly) and warm, all-weather clothing. | |
| 6. | Concerning art at this destination and where I visited the best exhibitions: |
| Amos Rex, Kiasma, and the Bioart Society program were particularly interesting to me. The Helsinki Biennial (2025) on the neighboring island Vallisaari was a highlight – the HIAP team organized preview tickets with free access and boat connection. HIAP sends out weekly emails with information about openings and events. Exhibition openings often start early, usually from 5:00 p.m. | |
| 7. | Around the studio – where I shop, drink my coffee and get the best lunch deal in walking distance: |
| The island supermarket has a good basic selection, including vegan options. Lidl in the city center is cheaper – Finland in general is quite expensive. Café Piper or Vanille on Suomenlinna (discount for HIAP residents). The lunch buffet at Kiasma is highly recommended. We often cooked together in the HIAP kitchen or in the studios. We also organized several potlucks and two BBQs in the summer with the other artists in residence. |
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| 8. | Where I like to spend the evening (dinner, drinks, best sound and networking opportunity): |
| We often met in the studios, by the sea, or in the sauna (there are four sauna sessions per week for HIAP residents) – very relaxed and personal. We attended many great exhibition openings; HIAP sends out a weekly list of recommendations. And we spent many pleasant evenings at Linna Bar on the island, where it’s easy to meet locals (there’s also a discount for artists in residence). | |
| 9. | What would have been useful to know before coming here and starting my residency: |
| HIAP is so well organized – before I even arrived, I already had all the practical information. |
Website resident: maaijkemiddelbeek.com