DATE: October 2, 2025
TIME: 13:00 – 16:00
FORMAT: Hybrid
LOCATION: Uniarts Theatre Academy Building (Haapaniemenkatu 6, 00530 Helsinki) / Teams
ROOM: Auditorium 1, ground floor
ORGANISERS: Theatre Academy International Alumni Network (TIAN), Globe Art Point (GAP), Think Africa
REGISTRATION LINK: https://forms.office.com/e/aX1Uah1cD5
How do international artists and cultural workers navigate identity, belonging, and professional life within the structures of Finnish society? Shaping Futures is a gathering that centres cultural perspectives on work, identity, and heritage, asking how these can be embraced as superpowers in today’s shifting landscape.
The event opens with a keynote by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), exploring how changes in the policy landscape impact the art and culture field. Doctoral researcher and performing artist Camila Rosa Ribeiro follows with a second keynote, inviting participants to imagine fractal futures shaped by multiplicity, resistance, and creativity. Presentations by Leena Marsio (Finnish Heritage Agency) and Hanna Kosonen (Forum Artis) offer insights into cultural policy, living heritage, and the structural realities of the arts field.
Commentary by visual artist Özgü Gündeşlioğlu from Catalysti will bring forward lived experience and grassroots perspectives. The event closes with a participatory discussion offering collective reflection on the conditions and challenges of building a life in art today from questions of economic precarity and entrepreneurship to identity, agency, and cultural visibility.
Curated for artists, cultural workers, and civic society actors, the event is a platform to connect, question, and reimagine the structures we shape and those that shape us.
13:00 Event Opening by the MC Liz Ndegwa – Fashion designer
13:20 Keynote: How do Changes in the Policy Landscape Impact the Art and Culture Field by Johannes Hirvelä / Director of Development, Finnish Immigration Service
13:40 Keynote: Same Yet Different: Race-making the Future and Improvisatory Resistance by Camila Rosa Ribeiro / Performing artist & doctoral researcher – online
14:00 – 14:10 Break
14:10 Presentation: Living Heritage – Tools for Resilience by Leena Marsio / Senior Adviser, Finnish Heritage Agency
14:30 Presentation: title Hanna Kosonen / General Secretary, Forum Artis
14:50 Commentary by Özgü Gündeşlioğlu / Visual artist, board member of Catalysti
15:00 – 16:00 Open discussion followed by coffee & mingle
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Liz Ndegwa – Fashion designer, Creative director at House of Mimiri
Defining and designing a merger of cultures, in the expression of clothing, accessories and home decor. A fusion of the world we live in and the journeys we travel that reveal our highest form of creativity, when we stand in the unique position, of worlds apart and also continents bound by business and cultural influences in our economies, which has brought us to a global perspective.
Back ground in B2B marketing, Specialized brand building and sustainability. Sales and Marketing, and Entry strategies on entering new markets. Brand and personal image consulting. Writer, Creative non fiction, thinker, speaker, mc, and event host. About | Mimiri
Johannes Hirvelä – Director of Development, Information Services and Performance Guidance Unit at the Finnish Immigration Service. Johannes is responsible for performance management and information services at the Finnish Immigration Service. He has previously acted as development manager for immigration and employment affairs at the City of Helsinki
Camila Rosa Ribeiro – is a performance pedagogy artist and postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University. Her research explores the intersections between art practice and decolonial-minded philosophies, focusing on collective practices of memory storing to re-invent futurity.
Leena Marsio is a seasoned professional in the field of cultural heritage and arts management, currently serving as a Senior Advisor at Museovirasto – Finnish Heritage Agency since June 2014.
Photo by Kalle Koponen HS
Hanna Kosonen is a piano teacher, but has worked in various administrative positions in the 21st century both in the open field, for example, as the intendant of Tapiola Sinfonietta. In 2020, She started working as the secretary general of Forum Artis. She also works as conductor Hannu Linnu’s personal assistant and organizes the VII International Paulo Cello Competition in October 2023. Kosonen was responsible for the compilation and drafting of the ethical guidelines for the arts and culture sector on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Culture during 2021-2022.
Photo by Gladys Camilo
Özgü Gündeşlioğlu is a visual artist based in Helsinki. Her practice centers on clay, with a particular focus on process, impermanence, and improvisation. She also explores collective ways of making and sharing art within community contexts, especially through her work as a board member of Catalysti, the association of transcultural artists in Finland.
ABOUT THE EVENT VENUE
Theatre Academy’s historic main building on the Sörnäinen Campus offers versatile facilities for theatre and dance instruction and student performances. The Kookos Building on Haapaniemenkatu houses facilities for theatre and dance instruction and rehearsals. There are also four studios that serve as the performance venues of Uniarts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy students. The Theatre Academy is one of the most active event organisers in Helsinki in the fields of theatre and dance.
The building also houses a university library that is open to everyone and specialises in the arts, especially in theatre and dance pedagogy as well as research in these fields. The Fazer Food & Co Restaurant for students and staff offers affordable breakfasts, lunches and snacks.
VENUE ACCESSIBILITY
The building is accessible, but the floor on the first floor is uneven. There is an accessible toilet on the same floor as the main lobby. Please inform us about your accessibility needs in advance and reach out to Gesa Piper, TIAN’s project manager at [email protected].
HOW TO REACH THE VENUE
The Theatre Academy’s building also known as Kookos is located at the corner of Haapaniemenkatu and Sörnäisten rantatie. The address is Haapaniemenkatu 6, 00530 Helsinki.
By car: The most convenient parking is Merihaka garage (Haapaniemenkatu 11). It’s a private, covered parking hall. The fee is around 4€ per hour, depending on the time of the day.
By tram: there are significant construction works in Hakaniemi right now which affect tram service.
You can’t take a tram across Pitkäsilta Bridge from the city centre to Hakaniemi during this period. Trams that would usually cross are rerouted / have their terminus changed.
Some trams (6B, 7B, 9B) still serve Hakaniemi from the direction of Sörnäinen and Kallio.
South of Hakaniemi (towards the city centre) tram lines (6T, 7T, 9T) are affected: they do not cross the Pitkäsilta Bridge into Hakaniemi.
Use Metro / buses instead of tram for that last leg if you’re coming from the city centre. Metro is usually less disrupted for north-south traffic.
By metro: Take the metro to Hakaniemi station or Sörnainen station.
From Hakaniemi: Exit via the Hakaniemen tori / Market Square exit. From the metro exit, it’s about a 10 minute walk.
From Sörnainen: Exit via Hämeentie / Helsinginkatu exit. From the metro exit, it’s about a 13 minute walk.
By bus: Travelling from the train station, the best bus connections are 66,77, 78, 717 and 739. Get off at Haapaniemi bus stop and walk for about 3 minutes to reach your destination.
For the most accurate travel route, we recommend you using the HSL mobile app: HSL Route GuideLink to an external website.
EVENT ORGANISERS
Globe Art Point (GAP) is a non-profit umbrella organisation based in Helsinki. The core mission of GAP is advocating cultural equity, diversity and inclusion in the arts and cultural sector in Finland. GAP also serves as an information centre and meeting point for artists, cultural workers and arts and cultural institutions in Finland. About us — globeartpoint.fi
Think Africa association uplifts the African diaspora in Finland by promoting their well-being and sense of belonging, advocating for their meaningful representation and participation and supporting their economic empowerment by leading as a trusted and sustainable organisation that acts with integrity and transparency. Who We Are – Think Africa
Theatre Academy’s International Alumni Network (TIAN) is a community initiative by the University of the Arts Helsinki (Uniarts Helsinki). Established to connect graduates of the Theatre Academy from around the world, TIAN aims to foster a vibrant, supportive network that extends beyond the university’s walls. Gesa Piper: University is a place for connecting, sharing and inspiring | Uniarts Helsinki
EVENT’S ETHICAL GUIDELINES
- This event is a discrimination-free and harassment-free zone.
- Do not assume anything. Ask, listen and discuss.
- Treat every individual with dignity and respect.
- Act honestly, truthfully and with integrity.
- Avoid conflicts. Every disagreement can be solved peacefully.
- Be transparent and accountable for all of your actions.
- If you face any issues or experience violation to this guideline, please contact the organisers of the event.
All of our events are free to attend, but organising them requires considerable time, effort, and financial resources from booking venues and preparing materials to compensating our expert speakers.
If you haven’t already, we encourage you to add this event to your calendar. And if you realise you can no longer attend, please let us know as soon as possible by contacting [email protected]. This allows us to offer your place to someone on the waiting list and helps our facilitators plan accordingly.
We kindly ask you to register responsibly. Attendance is monitored, and repeated no-shows without prior notice may result in restrictions on future registrations. These measures help us ensure fair access for all members of our community.
As firm as this may sound, our aim is to foster a respectful and equitable community. Please only register if you’re confident you can attend. Your spot matters, and it could mean the world to someone else.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Any questions? Please contact our Project Manager Alex at [email protected].
Event image by Rong