Nordic-Baltic SWAN —
Supporting Women Art Network
Eight women artists from Finland, Estonia and Latvia — painters, and artists working across media — each with an active studio practice in her city. Supported by two curators from Latvia and Finland and HelsinkiInternational Artist Association.
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 any artist interested in building supportive professional community and being a part of one.
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, 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
Nordic-Baltic 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
INDEPENDENT artist and network coordinatorVeronika (Vegesent) is a research-based conceptual artist and Nordic-Baltic SWAN coordinator based in Helsinki. Her installations give form to what society has collectively agreed not to see, inviting audiences to question hidden realities and the boundary between human and other life as a construct.
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 Nordic-Baltic SWAN to support knowledge exchange, professional development and collaboration among women artists across Nordic-Baltic borders.
MARIA TEPLYKH — ESPOO, FINLAND
INDEPENDENT artistMaria Teplykh — Sculptor, Chairperson of Helsinki International Artists' Association
Maria is a sculptor and mental health awareness artist based in Espoo, Finland. In her practice, Maria seeks to convey the experiences of people living with mental health challenges in a graphic and accessible way that everyone can understand.
Maria primarily works with clay and metal fencing materials. She often paints her sculptures and adorns them with descriptive elements made from upcycled materials.
As Chairperson of the Helsinki International Artists's Association, Maria works to create exhibition opportunities for marginalised artists in Finland.
Within the Nordic-Baltic SWAN network, Maria's role focuses mainly on documenting the network's activities and writing a blog that will describe the working process step by step. Maria also hopes to contribute to the network's success through her knowledge of creative leadership.
Maria sees Nordic-Baltic SWAN as an opportunity to empower marginalised female artists in the Baltic and Nordic regions. This goal is especially close to her feminist heart.
INDEPENDENT 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 Nordic-Baltic 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.
JULIA GAGARINA VON HEIROTH — HELSINKI, FINLAND
INDEPENDENT artistI’m a visual artist based in Helsinki, with a background in architecture. My practice centers on the human figure, exploring the body as both subject and symbol, and as a vessel for meaning, memory, and emotion.
Through themes of wellbeing, vulnerability, and what it means to be human in contemporary life, I use the figure to explore the complex relationship between the inner and outer self. The body becomes a space where personal experience, emotion, and imagined narratives intersect.
Working primarily in oil on canvas and drawing media, I combine the human form with stone textures, architectural elements, and expressive, imagined creatures. These elements create spaces that exist somewhere between the physical and the psychological, where the familiar can become fragmented, transformed, or symbolic.
My architectural background has sharpened my eye for structure, proportion, composition, and detail, refining the way I observe and construct both the figure and the space around it. I am interested in how bodies inhabit space - and how space, in turn, can shape our sense of self.
INDEPENDENT artistRIINA ARUMETS — TALLINN, ESTONIA
Riina Arumets is a metamodernist artist whose aesthetic is rooted in "new sincerity" — embracing vulnerability, curiosity and openness as paths to beauty and connection. Her artistic practice is shaped by a lifelong engagement with people and cultures across Finland, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Russia, as well as her experience in photography, voluntary educational work, languages and working with refugees.
Through oil painting, often working directly with her fingers, Riina explores moments of discovery, intuitive insight and the playful process of understanding oneself and the world. Her art is grounded in tenderness, sincerity and the belief that we consciously choose what we focus on.
Within Nordic-Baltic SWAN, Riina is responsible for Print Media & Publications. She is particularly interested in how collaboration between artists from different cultural backgrounds can create new, inclusive and effective ways of communicating, working and sharing ideas. For her, intercultural collaboration is not only a way to contribute her own experience, but also an opportunity to discover new perspectives and develop approaches that can be meaningful across cultures.
INDEPENDENT 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 Nordic-Baltic 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 Nordic-Baltic SWAN as an opportunity to create meaningful long-term connections between artists, curators and cultural professionals across the Baltic and Nordic region.
INDEPENDENT artistALLA DITLA — JURMALA, LATVIA
Alla Ditla is a Latvia-based artist, icon painter, and interdisciplinary researcher whose practice explores the intersection of spirituality, symbolism, tradition, and contemporary visual culture.
Her practice moves between the structured language of traditional icon painting and the intuitive freedom of contemporary abstraction.
Alongside her artistic practice, Alla brings extensive professional experience in finance, international project management, and organizational development. Within the Nordic-Baltic SWAN network, she is responsible for budgeting, bookkeeping, and website creation and support, helping to provide the project with a clear and sustainable financial and organizational framework. As one of the Riga hosts for the September 2027 working meeting, she will also be responsible for the project's financial reporting.
Through Nordic-Baltic SWAN, Alla is interested in developing meaningful connections between artists across countries and disciplines, exchanging knowledge and working methods, and exploring how a collaborative network can create opportunities that extend beyond individual artistic practices.
INDEPENDENT artistMARINA SADOMSKAYA — JURMALA, LATVIA
Marina Sadomskaya is a minimalist graphic artist based in Jurmala, Latvia. She draws directly on smooth paper or white foam board using bold black markers—without preliminary pencil sketches—she creates pure geometric compositions and stylized human profile contours.
Her artwork explores the philosophy of consciousness, non-places, and the fluidity of time. Her formula for own artistic practice is Space–Line–Image–Emotion. Each black-and-white piece is finalized with a single, intuitive red accent as a concluding visual spark. Beyond studio work, Sadomskaya engages in interactive performance art, co-creating drawings with audiences in real time.
curatorEMMA CLEAR — Pornainen, Finland
Emma Clear is a Finland-based curator, visual and installation artist and culture worker. She holds an MA in Visual Culture, Curating and Contemporary Art (ViCCA) from Aalto University (2023), a BA in Fine Art from Falmouth University and a Diploma in Sculpture from LSAD.
Her work centres on advocacy in the arts sector: supporting under-represented groups, among them primary caregivers and diverse creative professionals, and building cultural structures that include those the sector often overlooks.
Within Nordic-Baltic SWAN, Emma acts as the network's consulting curator for the Helsinki meeting. She leads the professional consultation sessions, offers participating artists feedback on their work and career paths, and writes a review for the project. Her advocacy focus mirrors the network's mission of professional support for women artists in disadvantaged positions.
Helsinki International Artists Association is a dynamic artist-run community dedicated to promoting equality, equity and inclusion within the artistic community in Finland. Established in 2008, HIAA serves as a vibrant hub for artists from diverse backgrounds, fostering cultural diversity and empowering creative individuals residing in Finland.
HIAA has been a member of the Union of Finnish Art Associations (www.skjl.fi) since August 18th, 2016.
HIAA provides the meeting space for the Helsinki hub, grounding the network's first gathering in an active artist community. Through HIAA, the network reaches 250 member artists: local women artists hear about the public workshop, join the Helsinki hub chat and meet the network as neighbours, not as outsiders. HIAA also carries SWAN's announcements and open calls to other artists' associations in Finland, multiplying the network's visibility far beyond its own channels. And because HIAA has committed to continue supporting the network after the grant period, the Helsinki hub stays anchored in an existing community, one of the structures that lets SWAN outlive its funded year.
curatorSvetlana Bolshakova — Riga, Latvia
Svetlana Bolshakova is an exhibition curator based in Riga, best known for her work with SeBo Art Gallery and the international art fair Wings of Riga 2026.
In cooperation with the gallery she regularly organises group exhibitions and projects with artists from the Latvian contemporary art scene.
Within Nordic-Baltic SWAN, Svetlana acts as the network's consulting curator for the Riga meeting. She leads the professional consultation sessions during the meeting, offers participating artists feedback on their work and career paths, and connects the network with curators, galleries and cultural professionals in Latvia.
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 Nordic-Baltic SWAN — In 2026, eight artists from three countries decided that the support structure we were all missing would have to be built by us. Supported by two curators and Helsinki International Artists Association this blog will document how we do it: our meetings, methods, findings and mistakes — in the open, for any artist or network to use.