Photo North – Northern Photographic Centre, Street Level Photoworks, and The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland are pleased to announce that Joel Karppanen has been selected for the 2026 Scotland Artist Residency following an open call for photographers and lens-based artists.
The residency is part of the long-standing collaboration between Photo North in Oulu, Finland, and Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow, Scotland, which has fostered artistic exchange and organisational collaboration since 2019. This year, supported by The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland, the programme encourages artistic research into contemporary northern landscapes through photography and lens-based practices.
The open call invited professional artists based in Northern Finland—or those with a strong personal or cultural connection to the region—to share their portfolio and motivation letter with the theme how environmental, political, industrial, and social transformations are reshaping northern landscapes in Finland and Scotland. The call received 14 high-quality applications, reflecting the vitality of contemporary photographic practice in Northern Finland.
The selection was made by an international jury consisting of Malcolm Dickson, Director of Street Level Photoworks; Amanda Hakoköngäs, Curator at Aine Art Museum; and Sara Kärpänen, Arts and Society Programme Director at The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland. Producer Taija Jyrkäs participated in the discussion and worked as a note taker at the jury meeting.
Joel Karppanen (b.1993) is a Finnish photographer and filmmaker whose practice focuses on labour and class relations, examining how reality is mediated through economic structures, collective memory, and inherited narratives. Through long-term, socially engaged, post-documentary methods, he explores urban and rural environments as socially constructed spaces, combining analogue and digital photography, archival materials, installation, and moving image to reveal the political, material, and emotional forces that shape contemporary life.
Originally from Northern Finland and now based in Helsinki, Karppanen has exhibited internationally at institutions and festivals including the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, PHotoEspaña, KunstHausWien, Lahti Museum of Visual Arts Malva, and Mänttä Art Festival.
During November 2026, Karppanen will undertake a one-month residency in Glasgow hosted by Street Level Photoworks. The residency provides dedicated time for research and the development of new work while connecting the artist with Scotland’s photography community.
As part of the programme, Karppanen will give an artist talk at Street Level Photoworks during the Season of Photography in Scotland and will later present the outcomes of the residency at the Pohjoinen valokuva Festival in Oulu in autumn 2027.
The residency reflects the shared commitment of Photo North, Street Level Photoworks, and The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland to supporting international collaboration, artistic experimentation, and critical perspectives on the changing environments of the North.
About the partners
Photo North – Northern Photographic Centre is an international centre for contemporary photography based in Oulu, Finland, supporting artists, exhibitions, and public engagement with lens-based art.
Street Level Photoworks is a photography centre in Glasgow dedicated to contemporary photography through exhibitions, production facilities, education, and international collaborations.
The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland strengthens cultural exchange and collaboration between Finland, the UK, and Ireland through programmes in arts, culture, and society.
