Ålesund Duo AiR – for emerging artists
Apply for a summer residency in the stunning Art Nouveau town Ålesund.
Ytre School of Art and Aggregat Kunstnerfellesskap invite two early‑career visual artists to a four‑week residency dedicated to their own practice and engaging in professional exchange. Applicants must be based in one of the Nordic countries. The residency offers access to a large studio, different workshops and an active artistic community – right in the heart of beautiful Ålesund, and takes place in the summer of 2026.
Application deadline: 20 April
About the residency
The residency will take place from 22 June – 19 July 2026 (with flexibility on both ends). Artists will be given a spacious working area in the Torghallen studios at Ytre kunstfagskole, and will have access to workshops and facilities at both Ytre and Aggregat.
Available facilities include, among others:
- Workspaces in a shared 200 m² studio by the Brosundet in Ålesund
- Wood workshop and sculpture/ceramics workshop at Ytre
- Printmaking workshop / shared workshop at Aggregat
- The project and exhibition space Mottaket
The residency also includes access to accommodation close to the working facilities.
Throughout the stay, opportunities will be arranged for meetings with students at Ytre, artists at Aggregat and the local art community, through conversations, informal gatherings and professional exchange.
The residency will conclude with a public ineraction such as a presentation, open studio, artist talk or another type of event.
Residency participation, use of facilities and accommodation are all provided free of charge. The organisers are working to secure further funding to cover artist fees and travel support. This will be confirmed before the application deadline and updated here.
Who can apply?
The residency is open to professional visual artists in the early stages of their careers who live and work in one of the Nordic countries (Greenland, The Faroe Islands, Åland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway). This may include recently graduated artists or those taking their first steps as professional artists. There is no age limit.
Application
Applications must be submitted by two artists working together as a duo, or simply as two colleagues working alongside each other. The two artists must share studio space, workshop access and accommodation.
One joint application should be submitted per duo, but each artist must include individual documentation of their artistic practice. The documentation should be compiled into a single PDF, clearly labelled with the artist’s full name, and must include:
- A short description of artistic project / motivation letter
- Portfolio
- CV
The residency does not have any requirements for the artists work – the stay is primarily intended to provide space to further develop one’s own practice, or the duo practice.
Applications will be assessed by TAKO, the artistic committee of Aggregat. In the selection process, emphasis will be placed on choosing artists who, through their application, demonstrate that they will benefit from the residency. This includes the ability to work independently, there need to be a match between the artists needs and the available facilities, and clear motivation for the residency.
About the organisers
The residency is a collaboration between Ytre kunstfagskole and Aggregat Kunstnerfellesskap in Ålesund. The project combines the resources of an art education institution and an artist-run organisation, feeding on experiences from previous residencies in the region.
Summer Residency 2026 is supported by Møre og Romsdal County Council, Regional Cultural Fund.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Please submit through the form below
