Organizer Information
Forum Box is an artist-run contemporary art gallery and cooperative based in Helsinki, Finland. The organization focuses on presenting diverse contemporary artistic practices and improving artists’ working conditions through an artist-led exhibition programme. Its exhibition programme is selected by an exhibition working group consisting of Forum Box member artists, with the organization’s strategy emphasizing artistic quality, diversity and peer support.
Forum Box also houses Mediabox, an independent media art space curated in collaboration with AV-arkki. In addition to its regular exhibition programme, Forum Box participates in the official gallery programme of Lux Helsinki, Finland’s major annual light-art festival.
The 2028 open call invites artists, curators and working groups to propose exhibitions, projects and performances for Forum Box. A separate application route is available for proposals to be presented as part of the Lux Helsinki Lux Galleries programme for the 2027–28 festival season.
Title & Description
Forum Box Exhibition Call 2028
Forum Box is accepting proposals for its 2028 exhibition programme from artists, curators and working groups. Applicants can propose a solo or group exhibition, artistic project or performance using either the entire approximately 300 m² gallery or one or two of its three exhibition spaces: Permanto, Monttu and Loft.
The standard exhibition period consists of a hanging week followed by four full weeks of exhibition, although shorter project-based exhibitions and performances may also be proposed and are assessed individually.
Applicants are expected to submit an exhibition or project plan explaining the proposed duration, preferred period, use of the space, artistic concept or theme, and works to be presented. Proposals involving sound, darkening, special installations or other technical requirements must clearly identify these requirements.
A separate call is available for artists wishing to present a project during Lux Helsinki 2027–28. The Lux Helsinki exhibition will form part of the festival’s official gallery programme and may use the entire Forum Box space, part of the premises and/or the façade.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Contemporary Art
- Installation
- Sculpture
- Painting
- Photography
- Video Art
- Media Art
- Sound Art
- Performance
- Experimental Art
- Interdisciplinary Art
- Curatorial Projects
- Collaborative / Group Projects
- Light Art
- Site-specific Projects
The call is particularly suitable for multidisciplinary and experimental proposals that can respond to Forum Box’s distinctive gallery architecture and spatial conditions.
Eligibility
The call is open to:
- Artists
- Artist groups
- Curators
- Working groups
- Artists proposing solo or group exhibitions
- Artists proposing artistic projects or performances
The source information does not specify a nationality requirement, so the opportunity should not be described as restricted to Finnish artists or as exclusively international.
For standard Forum Box exhibitions, a five-year minimum interval applies to solo exhibitions. An artist must have had at least five years between their previous Forum Box solo exhibition and the exhibition period they are applying for. This restriction applies to solo exhibitions occupying the whole gallery or part of the gallery, including Permanto, Monttu or Loft.
There is also a 12-month waiting period requirement concerning exhibitions in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area: applicants must not present their work in a solo exhibition or similar format in the Helsinki metropolitan area during the 12 months before their Forum Box exhibition or simultaneously with it.
The five-year minimum interval and 12-month waiting period do not apply to the Lux Helsinki application.
Program Benefits & Awards
Selected artists receive the opportunity to present their work at Forum Box in Helsinki as part of its 2028 exhibition programme.
Forum Box provides support associated with the exhibition, including:
- Exhibition space
- Exhibition communications
- Marketing
- Exhibition supervision
- Sales of exhibited works
- Opportunity for collegial, low-threshold peer support
- A contact person from among Forum Box members during the exhibition process
Forum Box states that its long-term objective is to make exhibition space completely rent-free for artists. Rent reductions have been implemented since 2020, and possible additional rent refunds or reductions may be offered depending on the organization’s financial situation and grants received.
For the Lux Helsinki exhibition opportunity, no compensation is charged from the artist for use of the space.
However, applicants should note that Forum Box does not cover every exhibition-related expense. Artwork insurance, transportation and catering for an opening are not included in the exhibition rent.
Forum Box also charges a 40% commission plus VAT of 25.5% on artwork sales.
There is no cash prize specified in the call.
Application Fee
There is no separate application/entry fee specified for submitting a proposal. However, selected applicants for standard Forum Box exhibitions may be subject to exhibition-space rental charges:
- Four-week exhibition: €280 for the entire space / €100 for one part of the space
- Two-week exhibition: €175 for the entire space / €90 for one part
- One-week exhibition: €125 for the entire space / €70 for one part
These prices include VAT at 25.5%.
The organization may provide rent reductions or refunds depending on its financial situation and grant funding.
Lux Helsinki exhibition proposals: no compensation is charged from the artist for use of the exhibition space.
How to Apply?
Applications must be submitted electronically by email. Paper applications are not accepted. Application form
Applicants must submit one PDF file of no more than 4 MB containing the completed application form and required attachments.
The PDF should be named: FirstName_LastName_Open Call_2028
The email subject must be: OPEN CALL 2028
Key Dates
Standard Forum Box 2028
- Application Deadline: 7 September 2026
- Late applications: Not accepted
- Selection notifications: By the end of October 2026
Lux Helsinki 2027–28
- Application Deadline: 7 September 2026
- Hanging period: 20 December 2027 – 9 January 2028
- Public exhibition/festival period: 30 December 2027 – 9 January 2028
Location
Helsinki, Finland
Additional Details
Forum Box's exhibition selection is made by an exhibition working group selected by the cooperative's board together with the executive director. The programme aims to maintain artistic diversity while supporting artists’ working conditions.
If an applicant applies for only part of the gallery, Forum Box’s exhibition team will select other exhibitions for the remaining spaces. Applicants should therefore be aware that other exhibitions may operate simultaneously and could potentially include elements such as sound.
The gallery also hosts Mediabox, a separate media-art space operated in collaboration with AV-arkki. Mediabox has a separate application procedure in the year preceding the relevant exhibition period and is not part of this open call.
Forum Box may distribute works displayed in an exhibition for three months after the exhibition ends.
Selected artists may also provide an Accessibility Rider, a document communicating their accessibility needs, wishes and boundaries in relation to collaboration and the exhibition process.
For the Lux Helsinki opportunity, applicants can propose the entire gallery, part of the premises and/or the façade. The Lux Helsinki application is entirely separate from the general Forum Box exhibition application and cannot be used to apply for a standard 2028 exhibition slot.