Iaspis Galleriet

Iaspis is the Swedish Arts Grants Committee's international programme for Visual and Applied Artists. Its mission is to work with internationalisation in various ways with the aim of increasing and developing contacts between Swedish artists and international institutions, fellow artists, the general public and the markets with the aim of contributing to artistic development and improved working and income opportunities. This is done by means of direct support for various forms of international cultural exchange, studio programmes in Sweden and abroad, informational activities and expert visits, as well as via a public programme of activities which formulate and explore topical issues in contemporary visual art and design from an international perspective.

The Iaspis programme comprises a total of twelve residencies in Sweden, nine of which are located in Stockholm, plus another three residencies courtesy of collaborative partners in Gothenburg, Malmö and Umeå. Swedish visual artists and designers are eligible for four of the residencies in Stockholm. International grant holders are invited to participate in the programme and proposals can be submitted throughout the year. The form can be downloaded from the website.

Iaspis offers eight residencies abroad for Swedish visual artists and designers in collaboration with various international residency programmes. Grant holders are offered the use of a studio, an apartment and a grant to cover subsistence costs during their residency. Swedish artists can presently apply for a studio residency in Berlin, Beijing, Cairo, Jingdezhen, London, New York, Tokyo and Mexico City.

Grants for international cultural exchange are intended to support artists’ opportunities to exhibit, work and further train abroad. Swedish artists can apply for funding to invite international artists to Sweden in order to collaborate and to learn from their experiences and knowledge. Last year applications were made for a total of almost 25 million kronor and just over 5 million kronor was distributed to 245 exchanges.

Travel grants can be sought in order to travel abroad for a short period for the purpose of working or training. No invitation is required. Grants can, for example, be given for self-initiated work stays, participation in a seminar/ conference, or study visits for participating in courses. The trip should further your artistic development and/or work opportunities.

To spread information about the Swedish arts scene, each year a large number of visits are arranged of foreign curators, critics and other professionals active in visual arts and design in order to create and develop contacts with artists active in Sweden. The international experts are provided with tailor-made programmes, which include visiting visual artists and designers who are active in Sweden as well as participating in public programmes. Proposals for international experts can be submitted throughout the year. The form for this can be downloaded from the website.

Via international cooperative projects, it is also possible for institutions, associations and other professional bodies to propose to the Swedish Arts Grants Committee cooperation in projects which aim to foster the internationalisation of visual artists and designers active in Sweden. The Committee’s contribution in this form presumes that other parties also participate in the funding. Anyone with a proposal for an international cooperative project should contact the Iaspis director to discuss possibilities for cooperation.

The Iaspis programme offers an extensive range of public activities in the form of seminars, lectures, discussions and other kinds of public events about topical issues within visual art and design in both Sweden and abroad. The events are primarily aimed at professional practitioners.

Public-programme events held in Sweden are essential to the task of creating international encounters and exchanges of expertise as well as for the discussion of topical issues pertaining to contemporary practice and theory. Events held in other countries help to spread information about the visual arts, design, architecture and craft arts in Sweden.

Iaspis has produced a succession of publications and other printed materialssome of which can be ordered or downloaded from our website. Iaspis also has a unique archive in which visitors can look for information about previous Swedish and foreign Iaspis grant holders as well as Swedes working in the visual arts, architecture, design and craft arts. More information about our Publications and Archive is available under these headings.

Iaspis was founded in 1996 as a development of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s international programme and has since played a major role in the internationalization of the Swedish art scene. The operation is funded from an annual government grant (visningsersättning) for compensating artists whose work is owned by public bodies or is used in some other public capacity.

The Iaspis delegation within the Visual Arts Fund decides on all international grants and funding as well as expert visits and international joint projects for visual artists and designers.

The Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s premises are located at Maria skolgata 83 on Södermalm in Stockholm and comprise offices, studios, project room and a unique archive of artists who are currently working in Sweden in the fields of visual art, architecture, design and crafts. In addition to the Iaspis programme, the agency also encompasses two more international programmes. The Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s International Dance Programme (KID) comprises grants, residencies, cooperative projects and promotional efforts with the aim of benefiting Swedish dance artists’ international platforms and giving them more opportunities for long-term international contacts. After a three-year project period the governmental agency is now also making permanent a programme of international cultural exchange in the field of music. The Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s International Music Programme (KIM) aims to broaden, develop and deepen the music field’s contacts with foreign institutions and individual professional representatives, and thereby to contribute to artistic development and improved opportunities for work and income. The programme is initially focused on composers.