Upė Foundation, together with Frieze and the Czernecki Educational Foundation, is delighted to announce the six emerging and mid-career curators from the Baltic region and Poland selected for the 2026 Frieze Curator Travel Grant: Stella Mõttus (Estonia), Janek Owczarek (Poland), Tīna Pētersone (Latvia), Franciszek Smoręda (Poland), Edvardas Šumila (Lithuania), Weronika Wojda (Poland).

Each selected curator will receive support for travel and accommodation in London, VIP access to Frieze London and Frieze Masters, and take part in a four-day funded curatorial programme during the fair, taking place from Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 October 2026. The programme will bring together curators from across the region for visits to museums, galleries and cultural institutions, panel discussions, and opportunities to meet artists, curators and other leading figures from the international art world.

The Frieze Curator Travel Grant is a collaboration between Frieze, Upė Foundation and the Czernecki Educational Foundation, established to support curators from Central Eastern Europe in developing regional and international networks, exchanging knowledge and ideas, and engaging with the global contemporary art world.

The six grant recipients were selected by a panel comprising Katy Green, Deputy Director, Frieze EMEA; Leonie Mir, Head of VIP, Frieze EMEA; Adomas Narkevičius, Founding Director, Upė Foundation; and Helena Czernecka, HELA Press.

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Selected curators

Stella Mõttus

Stella Mõttus (b. 1999) is a curator at Tartu Art Museum, Estonia. She holds a BA in Art History from the University of Tartu. Prior to joining the museum, she worked as Programme Manager at Kogo Gallery, coordinating exhibitions, international art fair presentations and public programmes. She founded Kanal Gallery, an independent contemporary art space in Võru, and Gallery Night, a contemporary art event series bringing together galleries and independent artists from Estonia and abroad since 2020. Mõttus regularly serves on selection panels, juries and expert committees within the Estonian art sector and is a guest lecturer at Pallas University of Applied Sciences. Her curatorial practice spans projects in Estonia and internationally, working with both emerging and established artists, most recently in Stockholm.

Janek Owczarek

Janek Owczarek (b. 1990) is an art historian, critic and curator. He is a contributor to Szum Magazine. In 2019, he organised the nationwide Tekken Art Tournament artistic competition together with Julek Grabowski and Piotr Policht. In recent years, he has curated both group and solo exhibitions, including: Genevieve Goffman, Martyna Kielesińska. To be a mouse (Museum of Literature in Warsaw, 2025), Neue Stimmung (Gdańsk City Gallery, 2025); Tymek Borowski. Placeholders (BWA Zielona Góra, 2025); the 12th Bielska Jesień curatorial exhibition Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game (Bielska Gallery BWA, 2024); and Bruno Schulz. The Iron Capital of the Spirit (Museum of Literature in Warsaw, 2023). His curatorial interests focus on the relationship between literature and visual culture, the reinterpretation of historical narratives through contemporary art, and the intersections of memory, myth and modernity. He works as Head of the Art Department at the Museum of Literature in Warsaw.

Tīna Pētersone

Tīna Pētersone is an independent curator based in Riga, Latvia, and co-founder of Riga Art Week. At the core of her practice is a curiosity about the systems, rituals and hidden undercurrents that shape contemporary life, often beginning with ordinary situations and behaviours to examine what lies beneath them. She looks for what is missing - in context or content - and creates conditions for new encounters. Much of her work also involves building connections between Baltics and other art scenes, opening new routes for artists to move between regions. Alongside her independent curatorial practice, she recently worked on contemporary art commissions for Liepāja 2027, European Capital of Culture. She holds an MFA in Curating from Goldsmiths, University of London, and has participated in residencies and fellowships at Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris), CEC ArtsLink (Chicago), Performa Biennial (New York), the Curatorial Program for Research (Nordic countries), Bazament Art Space (Tirana), and the Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts, among others.

Recent projects include Double Bind by Cem A.; To Dust: A Memorial for Robot Vacuum Cleaners by Rosie Gibbens (Riga Art Week, 2026); HA by Jana Jacuka (Times New York, 2026); Eternal Return by Emilija Škarnulytė; Balance by Kitty Florentine (Riga Art Week, 2025); Aftermath by Nelly Agassi (Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, 2025).

Franciszek Smoręda

Franciszek Smoręda is a curator and writer based in Warsaw, Poland. Since 2024, he has worked as an Assistant to the Director at the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź. Previously, he was associated with Galeria Monopol, Warsaw (2019-2024) and Stefan Gierowski Foundation, Warsaw (2017-2019). Graduate of the Faculty of Artistic Research and Curatorial Studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw. As a curator, he collaborated with the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw; BWA Zielona Góra; the Gdańsk Centre for Contemporary Art; and Turnus Gallery, Warsaw. At the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź, he cocurated the exhibitions: "Sophie Thun. Secret Performance" and "Ways Of Seeing. Collection of Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź". His interests touch upon practices that transcend mediums, processual approaches, overlooked artists, and intergenerational representations.

Edvardas Šumila

Edvardas Šumila is a curator and writer based in Vilnius. He trained as a pianist and then as a musicologist at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, where he now teaches; in 2013 he founded AHEAD, a festival for electronic sound practices, and went on to direct the contemporary music festival Druskomanija (2015–2018). Since 2023, he has been a curator at the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC) Vilnius, where his projects include Piotr Bury Łakomy's Garden Exit (2025), the Jonas Mekas–Verdi Requiem (2024), realised with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre and the Centre Pompidou, and the film programme Different Will: The Films of Palestine (2023). He is completing a doctorate in philosophy at the New School for Social Research, where his dissertation concerns the political commitment of art in a time of permanent crisis. His writing has appeared in e-flux Notes, Glissando, Echo Gone Wrong, and other outlets, and the issue of Escape as a Journal he guest-edited on M. K. Čiurlionis (Lithuanian Culture Institute) received an Art Criticism Award in 2026.

Weronika Wojda

Weronika Wojda is a Warsaw-based curator and writer working in the field of contemporary art. Her interests include interdisciplinary practices, video art, experimental writing, psychoanalysis, and critical theory. She graduated from the Critical Studies department at the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam. She is a curator at Galeria Studio, a renowned contemporary art gallery in Warsaw, and co-runs Rififi, an experimental exhibition space, together with Zuzanna Kozłowska. Her writing has appeared in Texte zur Kunst, Disclaim Magazine, and Magazyn SZUM.

The Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship is a 12-18 month full-time paid position embedded within Gasworks’ curatorial team. Conceived as a professional development opportunity for an early-career curator with a connection to the Baltic region, the Fellowship offers sustained experience across Gasworks’ exhibitions, residencies, public programmes and wider artistic activity.

About Gasworks

Gasworks is a leading non-profit arts organisation based in south London. Working at the intersection of UK and international contemporary art, it has supported more than 750 artists from over 100 countries since its founding in 1994. 

Gasworks commissions and produces exhibitions by emerging and underrepresented artists, and hosts residencies that enable artists from all over the world to research and develop new work. It also provides studios for London-based artists and develops participation projects for local children, young people and families together with community partners. 

Above all, Gasworks is a home for artists. Gasworks is committed to building long-term relationships with all the artists they work with. Thanks to their award-winning history, Gasworks have developed an unparalleled reputation for cultivating new artistic talent.  

Gasworks is a registered charity, the London hub of Triangle Network, and part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio.

About the Fellowship Role

Working closely with Gasworks’ Curator and Assistant Curator, the Fellow will contribute to the coordination and delivery of Gasworks’ artistic programme and collaborate across the organisation with artists, partners, external contributors and freelancers. The role requires care, curiosity, strong organisational ability and administrative skills in an artist-focused, fast-paced environment. A particular focus of the Fellowship will be supporting the artist selected through the parallel Upė Foundation open call. The Fellow will work closely with the selected artist during their 2027 residency and contribute to the research, development, production and logistics of their subsequent solo exhibition at Gasworks in 2028.

This new role is part of a multi-year partnership between Gasworks and Upė Foundation supporting emerging artists and curators connected to the Baltic region (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) and their diasporas. The partnership also includes a fully funded artist residency in London, followed by a solo exhibition at Gasworks in 2028. Throughout the Fellowship, regular meetings with Upė will be held, and it is expected that the Fellow engages with research, travel and networking supported through Upė’s programme and with their wider fellow cohort.

Through the Fellowship, the successful candidate will benefit from:

• Structured professional development within Gasworks’ Programmes team
• Experience contributing to exhibitions, commissions, residencies, public programmes and events
• Opportunities to contribute Baltic and broader Central Eastern European research perspectives to Gasworks’ curatorial discussions
• Opportunities to build professional networks in London, the UK and internationally
• A dynamic working environment within a leading international contemporary arts organisation

How to apply

Please apply by reviewing the job description and filling out the application form, both available on the Gasworks website here.

Application deadline: Monday 9 November 2026, 13:00 UK time

If you have any questions about the opportunity please email rosaharvest@gasworks.org.uk

This residency open call is for an artist at a pivotal stage in their career based in Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia. It combines an eleven-week, fully funded residency at Gasworks in 2027 with a solo exhibition at Gasworks the following year. The residency will take place in London from 7 July – 21 September 2027.

Gasworks’ residencies are self-led, non-prescriptive and process-based, providing artists with time and space to develop their practice, undertake research, engage with the city and build new professional networks. 

Following this residency, the selected artist will continue developing their work towards a solo exhibition at Gasworks in July–September 2028. Throughout this process, they will work in dialogue with Gasworks and the Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellow, allowing the residency, research and exhibition to develop within a longer-term framework of exchange and collaboration.

This residency is supported by Upė Foundation and forms part of a multi-year partnership with Gasworks designed to support artistic and cultural production with the Baltic region (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) and their diasporas.

About Gasworks

Gasworks is a leading non-profit arts organisation based in south London. Working at the intersection of UK and international contemporary art, it has supported more than 750 artists from over 100 countries since its founding in 1994. 

Gasworks commissions and produces exhibitions by emerging and underrepresented artists, and hosts residencies that enable artists from all over the world to research and develop new work. It also provides studios for London-based artists and develops participation projects for local children, young people and families together with community partners. 

Above all, Gasworks is a home for artists. Gasworks is committed to building long-term relationships with all the artists they work with. Thanks to their award-winning history, Gasworks have developed an unparalleled reputation for cultivating new artistic talent.  

Gasworks is a registered charity, the London hub of Triangle Network, and part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio.

How to apply

We ask applicants to carefully read the Application Guidelines and Residency FAQ (in the ‘Resources’ section below) before submitting their application.

Please apply by reviewing the Application Guidelines and Residency FAQ, before submitting your application. All materials available on the Gasworks website here.

Application deadline: Tuesday 2 February 2027, 13:00 UK time

If you have any questions about the opportunity please email rosaharvest@gasworks.org.uk

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Upė Foundation is delighted to announce that Diāna Mikāne (Latvia) joins the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery and Martyna Ratnik (Lithuania) joins Camden Art Centre, London, as the first Curatorial Fellows from the Baltic region to join UK art institutions through Upė Foundation’s Curatorial Fellowship Programme.

Upė Foundation’s Curatorial Fellowship Programme supports the next generation of curators through 12–18 month, full-time, embedded roles within institutions, combining professional development, research, exhibition-making and public programming.

In her new role, Diāna Mikāne will undertake research on artists from the Baltic region and beyond, supporting the development and delivery of major international exhibitions and programmes at the Hayward Gallery.

At Camden Art Centre, Martyna Ratnik joins the exhibitions team, bringing her specialist knowledge and research into the institution’s curatorial work while contributing to exhibition-making, events and research.

The two Fellows were selected through multi-stage recruitment processes. Final appointments were made following in-person interviews with representatives of each organisation. For the Hayward Gallery Fellowship: Yung Ma, Senior Curator, Hayward Gallery; Suzanna Petot, Assistant Curator, Hayward Gallery; Adomas Narkevičius, Founding Director, Upė Foundation; and Justas Janauskas, Founding Patron, Upė Foundation; and for the Camden Art Centre Fellowship, Martin Clark, Director, Camden Art Centre; Gina Buenfeld-Murley, Exhibitions Curator, Camden Art Centre; and Adomas Narkevičius, Founding Director, Upė Foundation.

Upė Foundation is preparing the next round of its Curatorial Fellowship Programme, expanded to include a Baltic artist residency, followed by a solo exhibition, in partnership with Gasworks, London, with open calls to be announced in Autumn 2026.

For all latest news and open call announcements, please sign up for our newsletter.

About the Curatorial Fellows

Diāna Mikāne

Diāna Mikāne is a curator and artist from Riga, Latvia. Through situated research and collaboration, her practice engages with parafiction as a mode of expression and the politics of space, often in relation to post-socialist conditions in the Baltic region and beyond. Recent work includes exhibitions and artistic projects such as High Beams in Timing Architecture at Part Time Gallery, Riga (2026), Forever Days in Invisible Labour at the National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (2026); Wish Upon a Shooting Star at Living Room, Athens (2024); I hope this email finds you well at InTheCloset, Vilnius (2024); Trembling Ground at VARES Architecture Residency, Valga (2024); as well as contributions to exhibition production at Nida Art Colony of the Vilnius Academy of Arts (2023–24). Mikāne holds an MA from the Art Academy of Latvia and received the ACADEMIA Award, which supported her curatorial fellowship at PUBLICS, Helsinki (2024–25).

Martyna Ratnik

Martyna Ratnik is a Lithuanian cultural worker based between London and Vilnius. With a focus on moving image creation, curation and criticism, her practice searches for ways history can be embodied and transgressed. In addition to working as part of the London Short Film Festival’s curatorial team, Martyna has been developing her independent praxis. Among others, her artistic and curatorial projects have been previously presented at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), the Independent Vilnius Cinematheque “Meno Avilys”, Lithuania’s National Gallery of Art, European Media Art Festival, BFI London Film Festival, as well as LUX Moving Image. Martyna is the winner of Lithuania’s 2025 Visual Art Criticism Awards, and has been invited as a jury member the year after. She has recently graduated from RCA’s City Design course with a Master’s Thesis on open form institutional design, and is also an alumni of Rupert’s Alternative Education Programme.

Upė Foundation is pleased to join Frieze and the Czernecki Educational Foundation in supporting the Frieze Curator Travel Grant 2026, an initiative offering six emerging and mid-career curators across the Baltic region and Poland travel support, accommodation, VIP access to Frieze London and Frieze Masters, and the opportunity to participate in a funded curatorial visit to London during the fair, taking place from Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 October 2026.

Frieze is a leading global contemporary art organisation, founded in 1991 with the launch of frieze magazine, and now encompassing art fairs, publications and digital platforms. The Czernecki Educational Foundation supports the arts and humanities in Central and Eastern Europe and fosters international exchange of ideas.

Together with Frieze, Upė Foundation and the Czernecki Educational Foundation share a commitment to enabling meaningful opportunities for curators from their regions to engage with the global contemporary art world.

The selected curators will receive:

• A grant covering the cost of travel from the Baltic region or Poland to London;
• Accommodation in London from Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 October;
• VIP access to Frieze London and Frieze Masters;
• A 4-day itinerary of panel discussions, museum and gallery visits;
• Opportunities to connect with leading figures in the global art world.

The selection panel is Eva Langret, Director, Frieze EMEA; Leonie Mir, Head of VIP, Frieze EMEA; Adomas Narkevičius, Founding Director, Upė Foundation; and Helena Czernecka, HELA Press.

If you have any questions for the Frieze team, please contact Eliza.Rennie@frieze.com.

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Applications are now closed.

Upė Foundation is launching the Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship at Camden Art Centre, as part of its Fall 2026 Curatorial Fellowship Programme. The opportunity invites Baltic early-career curators to apply for a full-time curatorial role at an institution, internationally acclaimed for its rigorous exhibitions, residencies, events and learning programmes, championing artistic experimentation.

Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship at Camden Art Centre is a full-time, 12-month position for a Baltic early-career curator, due to start in Autumn 2026, with the possibility of a further 6-month extension, 18 months in total, upon review and mutual decision. Relocation to London, United Kingdom, is required.

About Camden Art Centre

Since 1965 Camden Art Centre has been a place for art and the people that make it. Our world-renowned exhibitions programme supports artists at every stage of their careers, enabling them to make and show work that is relevant for today: brave, challenging, engaging and vital. Originally built, in 1890, as a public library, the building now combines historic architecture with open, modern spaces with free entry for all. Camden Art Centre has always led the way supporting artists and audiences to create and engage with the most vital and inspiring contemporary art and culture today.

We are delighted to be partnering with Upė Foundation on this incredible opportunity for curatorial exchange and dialogue. This kind of support is invaluable, both for early career practitioners and for institutions.  I’m very excited to welcome a new fellow here to Camden Art Centre, and to begin that process of shared learning and research. — Martin Clark, Director of Camden Art Centre

About the fellowship role

Embedded within Camden Art Centre’s Exhibitions Department, the Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellow will work as Assistant Curator, supporting the development, coordination and delivery of Camden Art Centre’s exhibitions programme and related projects and events.

The Fellow will contribute to a fast-paced programme of international and UK contemporary art, working closely with artists, curators, galleries, lenders, partner organisations and Camden Art Centre’s wider Programme Team. The role offers practical experience across exhibition-making, including research, production, interpretation, publications, public programmes, loans, installation and exhibition documentation.

The Fellow will be responsible for:

• Supporting the Exhibitions Curator and Director in the delivery of exhibitions, projects and events, both on and off-site;
• Assisting with exhibition research, planning, production, interpretation and public-facing materials;
• Liaising with artists, galleries, lenders, partner organisations, writers, designers and other collaborators;
• Supporting loans, shipping, registrar processes, contracts, publications and exhibition documentation;
• Contributing ideas to exhibitions, talks, events, residencies and wider programme discussions;
• Sharing research connected to Baltic and broader Central Eastern European artistic contexts through internal presentations and curatorial discussion.

The Fellow will receive structured professional development within Camden Art Centre’s Exhibitions team. The Fellowship provides the conditions for curators to develop their individual practice while embedded in institutional life, supported by mentorship, and encouraged to open new creative dialogues between London and the Baltic region.

Key eligibility criteria

Applicants should have:

• A demonstrated connection to, or sustained engagement with, the Baltic region, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, or their diasporas. This may include lived experience, heritage, working knowledge of a Baltic language, relevant research, or curatorial work with Baltic artists, institutions or contexts;
• Early-career curatorial experience demonstrating the ability to work independently and contribute effectively within a fast-paced institutional context. This may include freelance, self-organised, project-based or institutional experience;
• A higher education qualification, BA, MA or equivalent, in curating, art history, visual culture, or related disciplines;

Desirable skills and experience include:

• Working knowledge of Lithuanian, Latvian or Estonian;
• Fluency in a second language;
• Experience using Articheck software;
• Experience using CRM systems, particularly Salesforce.

Applicants must hold the right to work in the UK, either by:

• Being under the age of 26 and eligible for the UK’s “new entrant” Skilled Worker visa route;
• Being eligible for the Creative Worker visa route;
• Already holding the right to work in the UK, for example as a British citizen, settled or pre-settled status holder, or existing visa holder.

What the Fellowship offers:

• A full-time Assistant Curator role at Camden Art Centre;
• A salary of £30,960 per year;
• A 12-month fixed-term contract, with the possibility of a further 6-month extension, 18 months in total, subject to formal review and mutual agreement;
• Structured professional development within Camden Art Centre’s Exhibitions team;
• Experience contributing to exhibitions, commissions, publications, residencies and events;
• Opportunities to contribute Baltic and broader Central Eastern European research perspectives to Camden Art Centre’s curatorial discussions;
• Opportunities to build professional networks in London and internationally;
• A dynamic working environment within a leading contemporary art institution.

To read the full job description download the job pack here.

How to apply

We place great value on original, individual thinking and writing. We therefore strongly encourage applicants to prepare their materials in their own words and to avoid generic or artificially generated responses. Applications that are authentically the candidate's own will be prioritised in the selection process.

Please apply by reviewing the job pack and filling out the application form and monitoring form for the role which can be downloaded here.‍

Application deadline: 12:00 noon UK time, Monday 13 July 2026
Interviews: 6th August 2026
Final decision: mid-August 2026
Start date: Autumn 2026

If you have any questions before applying, please contact recruitment@camdenartcentre.org

Selection process

Applications will be reviewed jointly by Upė Foundation and Camden Art Centre. Following an initial assessment, a shortlist of candidates will be invited to a first-round online interview with representatives from both organisations. A smaller group of finalists will be invited to a second interview.

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The selection panel will include members of Upė Foundation and Camden Art Centre. Decisions are made by consensus, with agreement required from the full panel at each stage.

Upė Foundation is launching the Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship at Sapieha Palace, a branch of the Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania, as part of its Fall 2026 Curatorial Fellowship Programme. The opportunity invites early-career UK-based curators to apply for a full-time curatorial role at one of the foremost contemporary art institutions in the Baltic region, opening up new perspectives within the Baltic region while supporting professional exchange between the UK and Lithuania.

Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship at Sapieha Palace is a full-time, 12-month position for an early-career UK-based curator, due to start in Autumn 2026, with the possibility of a further 6-month extension, 18 months in total, upon review and mutual decision. Relocation to Vilnius, Lithuania, is required.

About Sapieha Palace

Sapieha Palace opened to the public in April 2024 in Antakalnis, a historic neighbourhood of Vilnius. Housed within a recently restored Baroque palace, it is a branch of the Contemporary Art Centre, one of the oldest and largest contemporary art institutions in the Baltic region.
Sapieha Palace’s programme aims to create a critical dialogue between contemporary art, history and tangible heritage, while reflecting the social and cultural processes relevant to the region. The annual programme comprises:

• Up to three solo exhibitions in the first-floor Northern Gallery;
• One thematic group exhibition spanning the second-floor spaces;
• An annual symposium;
• Educational initiatives and public engagement activities.

‘Contemporary art, being a universal and democratic language, also provides a means for different perspectives to spread, for diverse approaches to meet, and creates a space for dialogue, or at least an attempt to understand. At Sapieha Palace, in a unique space, we are developing a polylogue between the present and heritage, for which the experiences and voices of different countries are particularly valuable. We invite you to join the team and bring a new voice to it.’ – Gintautė Žemaitytė, Executive Director of Sapieha Palace

About the fellowship role

Embedded within the Art Programme Department of Sapieha Palace, the Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellow will contribute to the development, implementation and coordination of a section of the institution’s programme, working alongside Sapieha Palace’s curatorial team and external curators.

The Fellow will be responsible for:

• Curating one exhibition in the first-floor Northern Gallery, including the development and delivery of its accompanying public programme and related events;
• Supporting the development and production of Sapieha Palace’s main exhibitions and their associated public programmes and events;
• Supporting the development and coordination of the Sapieha Palace symposium.

The Fellow will be expected to:

• Align and agree the programme with the Director and in-house curators;
• Initiate and maintain relationships with artists and collaborators;
• Draft and oversee agreements with artists and partners;
• Lead on the curatorial, conceptual and structural aspects of their programme, working closely with the production team.
• The Fellow will receive day-to-day production support from two in-house project coordinators, as well as mentorship from Sapieha Palace curators and Director, as needed.

Each Fellowship provides the conditions for curators to develop their individual practice, embedded in institutional life, supported by mentorship, and encouraged to open new creative dialogues between London and the Baltic region.

Key eligibility criteria

Applicants should have:

• 1–5 years of relevant curatorial experience;
• A higher education qualification, BA, MA or equivalent, in curating, art history, visual culture, or related disciplines;
• UK citizenship, residency, or another demonstrable UK affiliation, such as settled or pre-settled status, long-term residency, or equivalent.

Strong preference will be given to emerging practitioners who have not held full-time roles in major institutions or museums, and who are able to demonstrate experience and initiative in running small-scale, self-directed projects, spaces, or frameworks.

Sapieha Palace and Upė Foundation will fully support the process of arranging the Lithuanian work and residence permit.

‍What the Fellowship offers:

• A monthly salary of €2,175 gross;
• Fully funded compulsory health insurance;
• Initial flights to Vilnius;
• A new work computer;
• Support in finding accommodation and settling in;
• Assistance in arranging residence and work permits;
• Flexible office hours;
• Access to CAC’s broader infrastructure to support research and project development;
• A dynamic, fast-paced work environment.

Salary & Job description

Please find a full job description here.

How to apply

We place great value on original, individual thinking and writing. We therefore strongly encourage applicants to prepare their materials in their own words and to avoid generic or artificially generated responses. Applications that are authentically the candidate's own will be prioritised in the selection process.

Please submit the following materials in English, compiled as a single PDF file, to sapiegurumai@cac.lt with the subject line “Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellow.”

• CV;
• Motivational letter, maximum 1 A4 page, outlining your interest in Sapieha Palace and this specific opportunity;
• Exhibition proposal for the first-floor Northern Gallery, maximum 1 A4 page.

If you have any questions before applying, you can contact Sapieha Palace at sapiegurumai@cac.lt.

Application deadline: 12:00 noon UK time, Monday 13 July 2026
Interviews: early August 2026
Final decision: mid-August 2026
Start date: Autumn 2026

Selection process

Applications will be reviewed jointly by Upė Foundation and Sapieha Palace. Following an initial assessment, a shortlist of candidates will be invited to a first-round online interview with representatives from both organisations. A smaller group of finalists will be invited to a second interview.

The selection panel will include members of Upė Foundation and Sapieha Palace. Decisions are made by consensus, with agreement required from the full panel at each stage.

Upė Foundation is delighted to announce that Andrew Cummings (UK) joins Tallinn Art Hall, Estonia as the first Curatorial Fellow of Upė's founding Fellowship programme.

Upė’s fellowship model supports the next generation of curators through full-time, embedded roles within institutional teams, combining professional development, research, exhibition-making and public programming. Developed with international partner institutions, the programme is a platform for emerging practitioners and new ideas to circulate between the Baltic region and contemporary art communities internationally. The Tallinn Art Hall fellowship is structured as a full-time twelve-month role, with the possibility of a further six-month extension upon review and mutual agreement.

Andrew Cummings joins at a pivotal moment in Tallinn Art Hall’s history, as its landmark site undergoes renovation ahead of reopening in November 2026. He will be responsible for curating the programme of a new black-box space within the historic building, developing exhibitions, screenings, performances, and other public formats in dialogue with Tallinn Art Hall’s wider programme. He will shape the programme in collaboration with the director and curatorial team, while working closely with artists and receiving production support from the institution’s in-house staff. 

The fellowship was awarded through a three-stage selection process led by the Tallinn Art Hall team, with the final decision made after an in-person final-round interview by Paul Aguraiuja, Director of Tallinn Art Hall, and Adomas Narkevičius, Founding Director of Upė Foundation.

Andrew Cummings is an art historian and curator from Wakefield, UK. Andrew studied for a PhD in Global Contemporary Art History at The Courtauld Institute of Art and Tate, and until 2025 was Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Decolonising Arts Institute, University of the Arts London. Previous exhibitions, programmes, and events include Dark Factory (MMCA Korea), A History of Future Contagion (Spike Island/The Courtauld) and Museum x Machine x Me (Tate). An alumnus of the Gwangju Biennale International Curators' Course, Andrew’s writing has been published by Tate Papers, Pilot Press, ArtReview, and Burlington Contemporary.

The second fellowship appointment, in collaboration with the Hayward Gallery, will soon be officially announced.

Upė Foundation is preparing the next round of its Curatorial Fellowship Programme, in partnership with Camden Art Centre, London, and CAC Sapieha Palace, Vilnius, with open calls to be announced in June 2026.

For all latest news and open call announcements, please sign up for our newsletter.

Upė Foundation and Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery are pleased to launch the first Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship in London, as part of Upė’s inaugural Curatorial Fellowship Programme bridging the Baltic region and the UK.

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Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship at Hayward Gallery is a full-time, 12-month position for a Baltic early-career curator, due to start in April 2026, with the possibility of a further 6-month extension (18 months in total) upon review and mutual decision. Relocation to London, United Kingdom, is required.

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Upė Foundation is a new London-based organisation with a core aim to provide new platforms for dialogue and exchange between the Baltic region and contemporary art communities internationally. Upė begins its work with a series of Curatorial Fellowships with major institutions – Hayward Gallery and Tallinn Art Hall – to support the next generation of curators across the UK and the Baltic countries.

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About Hayward Gallery

The Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery is a world-renowned contemporary art gallery. As part of the largest arts centre in the UK, the Hayward Gallery has been at the centre of London’s cultural life since it was established in 1968 and remains committed to creating a place where people can come together to experience bold, unusual, entertaining and eye-opening work.

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About the fellowship role

The Gallery’s diverse exhibition programme features influential artists from across the world and major international group shows exploring pivotal themes and issues. Embedded across exhibitions and public programming, the Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship offers the selected curator full-time work and structured professional development within the curatorial team, while also recognising the value of Baltic research networks, perspectives and artistic contexts. The Fellow will be responsible for conducting research on artists from the Baltic region and beyond, assisting with the logistics of bringing major international shows to life. The role is designed to expand the Fellow’s skill set, from public engagement to practical training in operations such as developing interpretation materials.

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Key eligibility criteria

• Has relevant and demonstrable curatorial experience. Preference will be given to emerging practitioners who have not held full-time roles in museums and/or other major institutions;
• Has demonstrable research and administration skills, with a methodical approach and attention to detail;
• Has a higher education qualification (BA, MA or equivalent) in a relevant field such as curating, art history, visual culture or related disciplines;
• Has a strong connection to, or sustained engagement with, the Baltic region (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and their diasporas). Examples include lived experience or heritage, working knowledge of a Baltic language, ongoing research or teaching, or a significant body of relevant curatorial work.

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Salary & Job description

The full job description is available here.

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How to apply

Applications are now closed.

Application deadline: 12:00 (noon) UK time, Monday 12 January 2026
Interviews: February 2026
Start date: April 2026

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Selection process

Applications will be reviewed jointly by Upė Foundation and Hayward Gallery. Following an initial assessment, a shortlist of candidates will be invited to a first-round online interview with representatives from both organisations. A smaller group of finalists will be invited to a second interview. The selection panel will include members of Upė Foundation and Hayward Gallery. Decisions are made by consensus, with agreement required from the full panel at each stage.

Upė Foundation and Tallinn Art Hall are pleased to launch the first Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship in Tallinn, as part of Upė’s inaugural Curatorial Fellowship Programme between the Baltic region and the UK.

Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship at Tallinn Art Hall is a full-time, 12-month position, due to start in April 2026, with the possibility of a further 6-month extension (total 18 months) upon review and mutual decision. Relocation to Tallinn, Estonia is required.

Upė Foundation is a new London-based organisation with a core aim to provide new platforms for dialogue and exchange between the Baltic region and contemporary art communities internationally. Upė begins its work with a series of Curatorial Fellowships with major institutions – Hayward Gallery and Tallinn Art Hall – to support the next generation of curators across the UK and the Baltic countries.

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About Tallinn Art Hall

Established in 1934, Tallinn Art Hall is the largest and oldest commissioner, producer and exhibitor of contemporary art in Estonia. The institution is currently undertaking a full renovation of its historic building on Tallinn’s main square, scheduled to reopen in November 2026.

As part of this renovation, Tallinn Art Hall is developing a new, flexible black-box venue beneath the historic building. The space will be approximately 100 m², with retractable seating for 50–60 people, a height of around 5.5 m, a 3×3 m roof hatch for loading large works, a roof window with blackout option, super-silent air pressure for pneumatic artworks, a motorised track system for hanging lights and artworks, and a large built-in screen and projector. The incoming Fellow will be able to shape final equipment choices in line with their proposed programme

Tallinn Art Hall produces 5–6 exhibitions per year, presenting local and international artists and engaging with urgent social and political questions. The renovated building will open with a group exhibition curated by Tamara Luuk and Siim Preiman, focusing on shifting representations of nature in Estonian art from 19th-century painting to contemporary commissions, followed by an extension of Merike Estna’s Estonian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

The new black box is conceived as a space for cross-disciplinary, experimental practice that responds to Tallinn Art Hall’s wider programme while also allowing for independent initiatives.

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About the Fellowship role

Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellow will be responsible for conceiving and curating the inaugural programme for the new, cross-disciplinary black box space.

Most of the programme is expected to maintain a dialogue with Tallinn Art Hall’s main exhibitions, while leaving room for independent projects and formats initiated by the Fellow. Preliminary directions for the space include:

Art exhibitions

• Solo exhibitions (with a focus on new commissions, including site-specific work)
  
• Duo projects (for example, pairing an artist with a practitioner from another field)
  
• Installation displays

Supporting programmes

• Film and video screenings linked to current exhibitions
  
• Lectures and talks on subjects linked to main programmes at Tallinn Art Hall
  
• Presentations by Tallinn Art Hall resident artists and resident chefs
  
• Concerts and sound programmes by artists

Collaborations and experiments

• Encounters between contemporary dance and performance art
  
• Screenings of archival artist films
  
• More playful and speculative uses of the space, which could range from experiments with large-scale set pieces (e.g., an air mattress accessed via the roof hatch) to occasional club-adjacent events

The Fellow will be expected to:

• Develop a coherent curatorial vision and multi-part programme for the cross-disciplinary black box space
  
• Align and agree the programme with the Director and in-house curators
  
• Initiate and maintain relationships with artists and collaborators
  
• Draft and oversee agreements with artists and partners
  
• Lead on the curatorial, conceptual and structural aspects of the programme, working closely with the production team

They will receive day-to-day production support from three in-house project managers and mentoring from Tallinn Art Hall’s curators and Director, as needed.

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Eligibility criteria

Applicants should have:

• 1–5 years of relevant curatorial experience.
  
• Higher education qualification (BA, MA or equivalent) in curating, art history, visual culture, or related disciplines.
  
• Shall be a UK citizen, resident, or otherwise able to prove UK affiliation (e.g. settled/pre-settled status, long-term residency, or equivalent). 
• Strong preference given to emerging practitioners who have not held full-time roles in major institutions or museums, able to demonstrate experience and initiative in running small-scale, self-directed projects, spaces, or frameworks.
• Tallinn Art Hall and Upė Foundation will fully support the process of arranging the Estonian work and residence permit.

What the Fellowship offers:

• A monthly salary equivalent to the Estonian average published income, currently 2213 EUR gross
  
• Fully funded Estonian health insurance
  
• Initial flights to Tallinn
  
• A brand new MacBook
  
• A fully funded 4-day research trip to the opening days of the Venice Biennale 2026, together with Tallinn Art Hall colleagues
  
• Support in finding accommodation and settling in
  
• Assistance in arranging the residence and work permits
  
• Very flexible office hours
  
• A collaborative environment and ‘amazing people to work with

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How to apply

Please send the following materials in a single PDF file (in English) to upefellow@kunstihoone.ee:

• CV
  
• Motivational letter (maximum 1 A4 page), outlining your interest in Tallinn Art Hall, the black box space and this specific opportunity
  
• Programme proposal for the black box (maximum 3 A4 pages), including your curatorial approach and indicative ideas for how you would structure the programme over 12–18 months

If you have any questions before applying, you can contact Tallinn Art Hall via upefellow@kunstihoone.ee.

Application deadline: 12:00 (noon) UK time, Monday 12 January 2026
Interviews: Late January-February 2026

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Selection process

Applications will be reviewed jointly by Upė Foundation and Tallinn Art Hall. Following an initial assessment, a shortlist of candidates will be invited to a first-round online interview with representatives from both organisations. A smaller group of finalists will be invited to a second interview. The selection panel will include members of Upė Foundation and Tallinn Art Hall. Decisions are made by consensus, with agreement required from the full panel at each stage.

London, 3 December 2025 — After months of preparation and eager anticipation, we are delighted to launch Upė Foundation, a new London-based organisation dedicated to creating platforms for dialogue and exchange between the Baltic region and art communities internationally. Our work begins with a series of Curatorial Fellowships, developed in partnership with major institutions – the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery, Tallinn Art Hall and Camden Art Centre – to support the next generation of curators across the UK and the Baltic countries.

Next week, on 10 December, we will open the first calls for applications for the inaugural round of Upė Curatorial Fellowship Programme at the Hayward Gallery, London, and Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn. This programme will offer early-career curators the opportunity to take up an 18-month curatorial role within a partner institution, working full-time as part of its team while developing their own practice. Each round will consist of two fellowships – one at a leading Baltic institution and one at a major international institution – reflecting our commitment to horizontal, two-way exchange. Fellows will be embedded in exhibition-making, public programming and research, receiving institutional support and mentorship. The programme provides the conditions to develop their skills, experience and professional networks. It offers Baltic curators a framework to bring their knowledge of Baltic art into international contexts and, in turn, supports UK curators to work within Baltic institutions and open new perspectives within the region’s art scenes.

In Spring 2026, Upė will partner with Camden Art Centre to launch an open call for emerging Baltic curators to apply for a Curatorial Fellowship at their institution. Throughout 2026, the programme will expand to include further partners, with the aim that future cohorts will move in multiple directions, between the Baltic region and the UK, and later across broader geographies, from neighbouring regions to less-explored connections. The foundation takes its name from the Lithuanian and Latvian word for 'river' – upė: a reference to movement, exchange and the flow of ideas across different contexts. This sense of flow underpins the fellowship model: a channel for curators to move between institutions, practices and ways of working, carrying gained insight forward.

Upė launches at a moment when global conversations in culture are becoming more decentralised, and new relationships between places are transforming how art is experienced and discussed. We believe that in this increasingly plural (others would say, multipolar) field, the ability to articulate one’s own context, and to enter dialogue on equal footing, becomes both an opportunity and a responsibility. With faith that this moment, while uncertain, holds possibilities for self-determination, transregional collaboration and solidarity, we step into it offering structures for exchange rooted in shared, exploratory work, research and long-term relationships. Upė will look for ways in which ideas can move more freely beyond inherited cultural hierarchies and centres of gravity.

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We begin Upė's journey with faith that new relationships, ideas and forms in art emerge through shared experiences, movement and dialogue across different contexts. London, a city closely tied to Baltic artists, students and wider diasporas, and to both of us, felt like a natural starting point for continual conversation. The Curatorial Fellowship Programme, inaugurating Upė, is our first step in building these bridges, hoping that those who move through them will carry the river's flow in many unanticipated, unruly directions.

We are truly grateful for all the support we have received so far and could not be more thrilled for what lies ahead and where this river will take all of us.

— Adomas Narkevičius, Justas Janauskas (co-founders, Upė Foundation)

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