SWAN —
Supporting Women Art Network
Ten women artists from Finland, Estonia, Austria and Latvia — painters, and artists working across media — each with an active studio practice in her city.
Mission
We exist so that women artists of the Nordic-Baltic region can do their main work — make art. The network takes care of the rest: connections, knowledge, visibility and support.
Goal
To create a durable Nordic-Baltic network of professional support for women artists — including immigrants and members of minority communities — that develops their professional capacity and is run by the artists themselves.
Objectives
We involve our target group directly in developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the network's methodology and practical materials.
We collect, describe and standardise successful practices so that members can apply them effectively in their own countries and pass them on to new members of the network.
We give members direct access to expertise and institutions, building a working dialogue and advocacy for the professional interests and rights of women artists.
We organise international exchange between members and grow the network by welcoming new participants and partner organisations.
We strengthen the cultural capacity of the participating regions through new works and public art events, raising their visibility and competitiveness on the international arts scene.
How we work
The network is built as national hubs — Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga — each growing its own local community of women artists, connected through joint meetings and online collaboration. Everything we develop goes through a cycle of piloting, joint evaluation and selection: only practices that prove their value become part of the network. Our methods and results are public — an open methodological guide and a blog, available to any artist and any network.
Countries and hubs
The network unites artists from Finland, Estonia and Latvia, with hubs in Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga. Each hub is anchored by a local coordinator and open to new members from its country.
Our story
SWAN began in 2026 as a conversation between women artists who kept meeting the same obstacles in three different countries: scattered professional communities, little access to institutions, and no support structure built with our realities in mind. We decided to build one ourselves.
We are a young, self-organised community. This is our first joint undertaking, and we treat that as a strength: the network is shaped from scratch by the people it serves, free to test what works and keep only what proves its value. During the first project year the network will be formalised as a permanent structure — with open doors for new members.
VERONIKA KVITKO — HELSINKI, FINLAND
Artist and network coordinatorVeronika (Vegesent) is a research-based conceptual artist and SWAN coordinator based in Helsinki. Her practice combines artistic research, project development, exhibition-making and international collaboration. Through her work as cultural producer, she has developed experience in coordination, sustainable development and art education. She brings this experience to SWAN to support knowledge exchange, professional development and collaboration among women artists across Nordic-Baltic borders.
artistJULIA GAGARINA VON HEIROTH — HELSINKI, FINLAND
We trust this leader to synchronize production, logistics, and support functions, cultivating dependable processes that uphold our service commitments.
MARIA TEPLYKH — ESPOO, FINLAND
artistWe trust this leader to synchronize production, logistics, and support functions, cultivating dependable processes that uphold our service commitments.
artistDARIA VERGINA — KOHTLA-JÄRVE, ESTONIA
She is a contemporary artist based in Estonia with experience in developing and communicating artistic projects. Her practice is complemented by experience in written communication, editing and digital content, allowing her to contribute to the public presentation of artistic work. Within SWAN, she is responsible for text editing and social media communication, helping ensure that the network’s activities, discussions and outcomes are clearly communicated to both professional and wider audiences. As part of the Tallinn host team, she also supports the local organisation and communication of the network meeting.
artistALLA DITLA — JURMALA, LATVIA
We trust this leader to synchronize production, logistics, and support functions, cultivating dependable processes that uphold our service commitments.
artistMARINA SADOMSKAYA — JURMALA, LATVIA
We trust this leader to synchronize production, logistics, and support functions, cultivating dependable processes that uphold our service commitments.
artistINNA NIKOLAIEVA — VIENNA, AUSTRIA
We trust this leader to synchronize production, logistics, and support functions, cultivating dependable processes that uphold our service commitments.
artistRIINA ARUMETS — TALLINN, ESTONIA
We trust this leader to synchronize production, logistics, and support functions, cultivating dependable processes that uphold our service commitments.
artistELENA GOZUNOVA — LIEPAJA, LATVIA
Elena Gozunova (Elena Go) is a Latvia-based contemporary artist working primarily with alcohol inks and mixed media. Alongside her artistic practice, she has developed an international professional network through exhibitions, art fairs, curatorial projects and collaborations across Europe.
Within the SWAN network, Elena’s role focuses on building connections with curators and art critics, supporting professional dialogue and expanding the network’s visibility within the contemporary art community. For the Riga meeting in September 2027, she will also lead photo and video documentation.
She sees SWAN as an opportunity to create meaningful long-term connections between artists, curators and cultural professionals across the Baltic and Nordic region.
artistDINA ZAKMANE — RIGA, LATVIA
We trust this leader to synchronize production, logistics, and support functions, cultivating dependable processes that uphold our service commitments.
Programme 2027
Three two-day meetings — Helsinki (May), Tallinn (June), Riga (September) — each with a public workshop on career skills for emerging artists. Between meetings: online collaboration, peer exchange and work on the open guide. The year concludes with an online presentation of the guide and of a concept for a joint group exhibition, to be realised after the project period.
Blog
Why we started SWAN — In 2026, ten artists from three countries decided that the support structure we were all missing would have to be built by us. This blog will document how we do it: our meetings, methods, findings and mistakes — in the open, for any artist or network to use.