Mhairi Killin is a visual artist from the Isle of Iona in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. She makes her return to Svalbard this February to continue the research and development of ‘Svalbard & The Hebrides - Island Archipelagoes in the Anthropocene’, which started at Artica in October/ November last year.

We are delighted to share that Artica alumni Jessica MacMillan’s project Time Line will feature in the group exhibition Infinity – Emptiness – Liveliness at the Planetarium in Hamburg, running from 25 January to 31 May 2025. The exhibition explores concepts of boundlessness through artistic, mathematical, and physical perspectives.

Imagined Memories features work developed during Liberg’s residency at Artica Svalbard in March - June 2024, where she explored the historical and geopolitical importance of the Arctic.

Artica Svalbard is pleased to announce that French artist Cléa Darnaud has arrived in Longyearbyen as our first resident of 2025. Nominated by OCA (Office for Contemporary Art Norway) she will be staying until April.

The first essay in Artica Svalbard’s Artica Writings series, written by journalist Elida Høeg, is now live. Titled I want to be somewhere I can feel at home, the piece shares the experiences of Valeriya Burlachenko Mikhalskaya, a former Ukrainian resident of Svalbard, as she navigates life in the Arctic amidst shifting circumstances and global events.

Artica Svalbard’s Artica Writings series launches with a new focus on the personal stories of international residents in Svalbard, and the first installment, written by journalist Elida Høeg, is now live. The series offers an intimate exploration of life on the Arctic archipelago, delving into the experiences of those who have chosen to call Svalbard home amidst its unique challenges and evolving socio-political landscape.

We are very pleased to share new tips and inspiration from Nastassja Simensky in our ‘Residents Recommends’ series. Nastassja joined us as artist-in-residence from August to October 2024, nominated by OCA, Office for Contemporary Art Norway.

Thank you to everyone that joined us for the introduction to paper marbling workshop. It was very inspiring to see all the colourful patterns and prints being made.

Taking place on November 16 & 17 at Unge Kunstneres Samfund, Oslo, Kunstbok Oslo is a new art book fair and an online bookstore that presents artist books, zines, monographs and literature by artists.

In this special episode of Testing Grounds, the NAARCA partners reflect on the first three years of the programme – exploring what’s been achieved, what the challenges have been, and where things might go next.

Thank you to everyone that joined us on Saturday 13 July for the Photo Zine Workshop with artist in residence Kamil Kak. The zines by our participants used a variety of photos, objects, magazine cuttings and scans to create personal and unique zines.

Thank you to everyone that joined us for the Introduction to Linocut workshop. We spent the weekend with artist in residence Cathrine Alice Liberg learning different lino printing techniques in one and multicolour designs.

We are happy to share a report from Svalbard as part of the World Weather Network - A worldwide network of artists, writers and communities reporting on their weather and our climate from June 2022 – June 2024.

Spring is beginning to arrive in Longyearbyen and with it we welcome our next writer in residence, Roald Berg professor emeritus of modern history at the University of Stavanger.

Stibbon will create an immersive experience for the viewer, aiming to act as a stark reminder that the seemingly remote events of polar ice sheet melt is directly connected with the changes being witnessed in a more local and familiar UK landscape.

We are pleased to announce that Artica Svalbard has successfully qualified as a 2023 Active Member with Gallery Climate Coalition. To achieve Active status we had to demonstrate that our organisation had implemented environmental sustainability best practice in line with GCC guidance.

Artica og Svalbardposten sten er på jakt etter neste generasjons miljøjournalister og skribenter. For deg mellom 14 og 20 år som bor i Longyearbyen.

Cathrine Alice Liberg is a Norwegian-Singaporean artist and printmaker working in a variety of techniques, including lithography, photogravure, cyanotype, etching and mezzotint. Her art revolves around the family portrait, where she contemplates the stories that were lost through her family’s migration, and how descendants can never become reliable narrators of their ancestors’ lives.

Thank you to everyone that joined us on Tuesday 12 March for The Moon Rhymes in Frost workshop. Led by our host pastry chef, Ethan Kan, this hands-on session helped participants to learn to craft a variation of a snow skin mooncake.

Påminnelse- Artica og Svalbardposten ser etter neste generasjon miljøjournalister og -skribenter.