International open call Rejmyre Art Lab’s Center for Peripheral Studies invites artists to participate in a new artist-in-residence, Sweden
- tbHUNKYDORY
- Nov 8, 2025
- 4 min read
December 1, 2025, 11:59pm
Reymyre Artlab
Center for Peripheral Studies, Glasbruksvägen 42
Rejmyre, 612 71, Sweden
Rejmyre Art Lab’s Center for Peripheral Studies invites artists to participate in a new artist-in-residence program on the theme TROPISM. The word tropism describes how an organism responds to its surroundings—how a plant turns towards the light, how roots twist to seek water, how life continually answers to stimuli. We wish to explore how this principle can be embodied through artistic processes: what makes us grow and twist, what makes us reorient—not only in relation to the natural world, but within the shifting social and political ecologies we inhabit.
The residency artists will use our transparent dome—The Refuging Pavilion—as their workspace. The pavilion resembles a greenhouse and is located in the heart of the industrial village of Rejmyre. Here, we aim to examine the potential of art to create ecologies: between people, across generations, between culture and nature. The project will be curated by Jonatan Habib Engqvist and carried out in close collaboration with the Berggården nursing home and Rejmyre school, and is especially aimed at artists interested in engaging with participatory and relational practices.
We are looking for artists who, in various ways, wish to work with growth and vegetation—cultivation, care, and ecologies. This includes both ecological and social dimensions, where plant life can serve as both a concrete material and a metaphor for societal transformation.
Six artists will be invited over the course of two years. Each residency period concludes with an open studio in the Refuging Pavilion as well as a public presentation and seminar. The project will also be disseminated through workshops in other locations in Östergötland and through collaborations with research initiatives on health, ecology, and sustainability.
We welcome artists who wish to let their projects take root here, in the intersection between art, vegetation, and everyday human life.
Residency structureTROPISM is both a research and production residency. It consists of three parts:
The Ensemble—All selected artists spend one week together in Rejmyre, engaging in collective exercises, workshops, and site visits to get to know the area.
Individual Residency – A nine weeks individual residency, most of which is spent in Rejmyre. As one artist departs, the next arrives. During this period, each artist develops their own project in collaboration with one of our local partners, the local elementary school (1-6th grade) or the local nursing home. The collaboration may take different forms - for example, tailored workshops based on the artist’s project or theme, or a project developed in relation to one of the partner organizations.
Exhibition—The final stage of the residency will be a group exhibition featuring all TROPISM artists, taking place in the spring/summer of 2028.
Fees and compensationEach artist receives a work grant and an exhibition fee for their participation. Accommodation is provided, and travel expenses are reimbursed up to 10,000 SEK.
Compensation: Each artist receives a total of 50,000 SEK (including tax) for participation (in both the ensemble week and the individual residency), plus a production budget, based on reimbursement, of up to 50,000 SEK (including tax). In addition, all artists receive 7,000 SEK (including tax) for participation in the group exhibition in Rejmyre in spring/summer 2028.
Travel: Travel costs are reimbursed up to a total of 10,000 SEK (including tax) per artist. This includes travel to and from Rejmyre (for both the ensemble and individual periods), as well as necessary travel during the residency. Bicycles are available in Rejmyre for getting around in the village.
Accommodation: Accommodation is included in the residency.Expected on-site presence: All artists are required to participate in the ensemble week. During the individual residency period, artists should not be away from Rejmyre for more than 5 consecutive days and no more than approximately 14 days in total.
Residency periodsEnsemble: April 6-12, 2026. All six artists participate in a one-week ensemble period.
Individual residency: April 13–June 13, 2026 / June 11–August 15, 2026 / August 13–October 17, 2026 / February 1–April 3, 2027 / April 1–June 5, 2027 / June 3–August 7, 2027.
Who can apply?The residency is open to professional artists working with contemporary, visual, spatial, and performing arts. Both Swedish and international artists are welcome to apply. A proficient level of English or Scandinavian language is recommended.
Note: Rejmyre Art Lab is unable to apply for visas, or compensate for the costs associated with visa processes, on behalf of invited artists. A formal invitation letter can be issued upon request.
Application requirements– CV (max two A4 pages)– Motivation letter/project proposal/idea (max one A4 page)– Portfolio with up to three (3) previous projects– Indication of which individual residency periods you are interested in / available for– All materials should be submitted as one PDF document, no larger than 10mb, with the applicant's first and last name, and the word Tropism, as the file name. e.g. Marla_Verdane_Tropism.pdf
Submission deadline December 1, 2025, 23:59. Applications sent in at a later date will not be accepted.
About Rejmyre Art LabRejmyre Art Lab’s Center for Peripheral Studies is an artist-run organization exploring the role of the artist in society, particularly within rural contexts. Its activities include exhibitions, site-specific installations, research projects, international residencies, workshops, and a research-based, contemporary art program for children in Rejmyre (Konstlabbet). The focus lies on place-based art, craft, and encounters between artists, contemporary art, and the public. Rejmyre is a small industrial town in northern Östergötland, Sweden, located about 40 km from Norrköping and Katrineholm, and 30 km from Finspång.The project is funded with support from the Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation. Rejmyre Art Lab is supported by the Swedish Arts Council, Region Östergötland and Finspångs Kommun.
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