Gallery Napa, from December 14 through January 7
AN OPEN DRAWING EXHIBITION AT THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
Open for all over 18 years, free to submit & exhibit
Do you draw? Would you like to exhibit your drawing in an exciting contemporary drawing exhibition in Finnish Lapland in December 2024 – January 2025? If yes, please read on.
This exhibition is organized at the Artists’ Association of Lapland’s Gallery Napa in Rovaniemi that is the capital of Finnish Lapland in the Arctic Circle. This is an open call exhibition, and you are invited to submit up to three drawings to be considered by a panel for the exhibition that runs from 14th December 2024 until 7th January 2025.
STATEMENT
We want to promote drawing locally and globally. We believe drawing is universal and open for all. We understand drawing as a tool for thinking, a technique and a method for making art. We celebrate drawing in all its forms, be it on paper or 3-dimensions, or in movement, to name a few. We want to challenge you and ourselves to think about drawing and make drawings. We see it as a democratic and simple tool where one can start by making a mark. We understand that drawing can be used in many ways. It does not have to be taken seriously and we can scribble aimlessly – on the other hand drawing can improve the quality of life and well-being.
Drawing brings people together and this exhibition celebrates those connections.
INSPIRATION & FUTURE
This exhibition is the first step to establishing a biannual drawing exhibition that is launched in Lapland and tours the Nordic region. Our inspiration and support come from the UK’s most celebrated annual drawing exhibition Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize spearheaded by artist, curator and professor Anita Taylor, Dean of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design at the University of Dundee, and the founding Director of the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize.
The exhibition is an initiative by artist, curator Elisa Alaluusua who has been part of the drawing community in London and wants to expand that to her native home in Finnish Lapland. Hopefully together we can start something special in Finnish Lapland with the power of drawing and its loving community.
IMPORTANT FACTS
This exhibition has limitations, and we want you to be aware of how and why it is organized. You should note that this exhibition has limited resources because it is run by professional artists who volunteer their time and expertise for this cause.
It is free to send submissions and it is open to everyone over 18-years old anywhere around the world. (The age limit is carefully considered, and you can find out more about it under the section QUESTIONS.)
For practical reasons there are size and weight limits for drawings. Please see more detailed submission instructions below.
Note the tight timescale. If we are overwhelmed with responses, we will communicate this via Gallery Napa’s FB page Galleria Napa – Lapin taiteilijaseura ry, @lapland.international and on IG @lapland_international page.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Follow the submission instructions closely and submit your image(s) and statements no later than Wednesday 13th November by midnight Finnish time (2h ahead of UK & UTC+2) to be considered by the panel. Selection results will be announced a week later.
Please submit only drawings created in the last two years.
Send your digital submission via email to Please include the following information:
1)
Your details & details of the work submitted
Artist Name
Your location (and nationality if you wish)
Title of work, date of work
Media and/or materials
Dimensions, duration (include password if needed) or possible links or hanging instructions
How you would deliver your drawing if selected: Drop off in Rovaniemi / Helsinki / London / or sent by mail
Example here:
Jane Doe
British works in Turku, Finland
Structure I, 2024
Ink and charcoal on paper
30 x 20 cm
Drop off: Helsinki
2)
Artwork statement, max 100 words
You should write something about the drawing you are submitting and/or about your drawing practice.
3)
Artist statement, max 200 words
Say something about who you are. You could tell us about what kind of an artist you are, where you are based, how long you have exhibited for, etc. If you are not a professional artist, you could tell us something else about yourself that you think is relevant to your drawing submission. Include your website or social media handles if relevant.
NOTE: These texts should be checked and ready to be included in the exhibition handout and online publication.
Put the information and the statements in the body of the email and attach up to three photos of your drawing. Please use .jpg files (max size 5MB) and make sure to have your first & last name included in the filename, you can also add the title and the year. For example:
FirstLastname_TitleOfDrawing _2024.jpg
FirstLastname_TitleOfDrawing_CU_2024.jpg (CU = close-up)
One email per one submission ie if you are offering three drawings put them in three separate emails.
Please limit your email per offering to one only and check the details before sending.
For those who can deliver their drawings directly to Gallery Napa on 10th or 11th December, between 12.00-18.00, there are no size or weight or any other limitations. You can offer any kind of drawing for the judging panel to consider. It is a good idea to visit the gallery to get an idea of the space and its size if you would like to propose a site-specific or large-scale drawing.
SELECTION OF DRAWINGS
The emailed submissions will be considered by a panel of three art experts who have been invited to select a group of drawings that in their opinion represent what they think is essential about drawing today. They are invited to question what a drawing can be and explore how drawing is used. The selection panel will be assisted by artist curator Elisa Alaluusua and gallerist from Gallery Napa Miia Mattila.
The results are announced on 20th November latest via email to those whose works have been selected and a few days later on FB:
Galleria Napa – Lapin taiteilijaseura ry, @lapland.international and IG: @lapland_international
As soon as you know that your drawing(s) has been selected please get your drawing ready to be dropped off in London, Helsinki or Rovaniemi or mail it to us. There will be instructions of what to do next in the ‘your drawing has been selected’ -email.
Drop off dates & times & size restrictions
There are two collection points where selected drawings can be dropped off to be taken to Lapland
London on Friday 29.11., 12noon–6pm, Studio 18A, Iliffe Yard, SE17 3QA, London
Helsinki on Tuesday 3.12., 12.00–18.00, galleria Duetto, Kalevankatu 15, 00100 Helsinki
For London drop off we encourage you to submit drawings up to 30 x 30 cm on paper or similar lightweight material to fit in hand luggage. From Helsinki we can collect bigger pieces – they will be travelling with the same courier on a train.
Posting drawings and collection of works
You are also welcome to deliver drawings to the gallery directly as detailed above.
Or you may want to consider posting your drawing from any part of the world to us. Note that we cannot send posted drawings back to you, but we offer to keep them until the end of 2025* so you could travel to Lapland to pick them up. Drawings can also be donated to the exhibition’s archives where they will be kept for research and educational purposes as long as we have facilities for that.
Drawings delivered to the gallery need to be picked up on the 8th of January 2025 between 12.00-18.00. Drawings couriered from London and Helsinki will be taken back to the same location in early 2025, dates TBC. Please be prepared to show ID on the pick-up day and show a copy of your selection results email.
*This flexible collection date is only available for those who have pre-arranged it with us before mailing their drawings.
QUESTIONS
Why should I participate?
This is an opportunity to be part of an exhibition where connections are made and future is built. This exhibition idea is supported by many drawing artists and enthusiasts who have already promised to submit their drawings for the panel’s selection. You might be exhibiting next to your favourite drawing artist! We will be strengthening our drawing community in the Nordic region and Finnish Lapland. Expect to be informed and invited first to our future activities including exhibitions, workshops and residencies in Lapland. We have big plans – be part of them!
Why this open exhibition has an age limit?
Firstly, we all know that children enjoy drawing, and the exhibition organisers celebrate that fact. One of the important factors the organisers want to raise, and question are those reasons why so many lose their willingness to draw as an adult. In the future, we hope to build a wonderful programme of events around this biannual touring exhibition where there will be workshops and activities aimed at all ages, including children. Perhaps there could even be a parallel exhibition of children’s drawings.
Secondly, we take drawing seriously and want to build on our understanding of drawing. That is the reason why everyone is asked to include a statement of their drawings and drawing practice to accompany their work. 18-year-olds and beyond have had a chance to develop their practice and hopefully can verbalise that in their statements.
Who is behind this exhibition?
The exhibition is organised at the Artists’ Association of Lapland’s Napa gallery in Rovaniemi, Kairatie 3, 96100 Rovaniemi. More info here: www.lapintaiteilijaseura.fi The Association was established in 1990 and exhibitions have been organised since 1991. The gallery runs a highly sought-after exhibition programme with its professional staff.
The curator and artist behind the idea, Elisa Alaluusua, is a drawing artist who works on paper and with video. She is originally from the village Luusua near the Arctic Circle and has worked as an artist in her two homes one in Lapland and one in London. More info here: www.ealaluusua.co.uk
What about money, funding and selling works?
In principle we will not sell drawings from this exhibition. The gallery can offer this option only to artists belonging to the Artists’ Association of Lapland – the usual commission fee of 20% applies. The visitors will have access to the artists’ details in the exhibition handout in case they want to find more information about them.
This exhibition has limited resources because it is an artist-led initiative run on volunteer basis. Due to this, we cannot offer more collection points or return-mailing. There is no budget to insure the drawings in the exhibition hence we strongly recommend you insure your work if it has monetary value – check out customs’ instructions if you are posting your drawing. We cannot guarantee that accidents do not happen and can only promise to look after your work professionally, like it was our own.
In the future, we want to offer those options and create a touring exhibition that promotes drawing and offers professional artists a platform to show their work and receive prestigious awards. See Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize in the UK to see how they operate – they are our inspiration!
Panel
To be announced shortly!
Be part of this celebration of drawing at the Arctic Circle and act quickly – the DL is 13th November and the PV 13th December!