Artists often work under precarious financial and working conditions. Emphasis on short-term and project-based funding, a high level of professionalism needed or simply no available funding contribute to these precarious conditions. Projects that work transnationally are additionally challenged by having to navigate in and adjust to a varied landscape of different support systems. Such support systems can, also in the Nordic countries, often reflect national priorities and institutional bias. The reliance on institutional support and established networks (such as museums or cultural institutions, galleries, curators, and critics), play a pivotal role in the visibility or success of an artist. In some countries/contexts the lack of support or total lack thereof, often also means limited opportunities to access education, mentorship, or funding, perpetuating a cycle of restricted access and representation on a global level.
These dynamics raise questions about the influence of systemic conditions on inclusivity and diversity within global collaboration, as individuals from certain geographies inevitably face additional hurdles in navigating established channels and sustainable working lifestyles.
We are observing how cultural practitioners themselves take the initiative to champion inclusive and inventive support systems. Their aim is to democratise the artistic/funding process and extend opportunities to practitioners with varying levels of experience or limited access to traditional institutionalised structures.
Practitioner-led microfunding is a promising approach adopted by many of the Globus projects. It enables initial grant recipients to act as intermediaries between funders and artists, facilitating the distribution of funds to collaborators. It offers a more flexible approach to creating cultural works, utilising networked processes that facilitate the co-creation of ideas from early stages and with that invite diverse and marginalised voices.
Working outside institutionally backed structures imposes additional responsibilities on practitioners. They must not only engage in artistic creation but also assume managerial tasks, as exemplified within one of the funded projects. Here, two independent cultural practitioners collaborate with numerous artists and organisations, co-creating artistic outcomes across different geographical scales, providing material micro-funding, and simultaneously serving as project managers.
It relates to the amount of work required and the work achievable with the funding we have. In the case of a university, they will receive support from other individuals paid by the university—this has been a significant question for us. How are we going to support ourselves for the next two years if we plan to use this funding to compensate others for acquiring materials and producing artworks?Ghost Agency
This approach recognizes the value of providing tangible resources that can enhance their capabilities, promote their work, and even offer protection from government surveillance or criminal organizations. How might indirect microfunding be reflected in funding and application. The transnational context introduces additional challenges, such as the risk of being targeted for pursuing truth or challenging existing power structures. The focus on supporting their safety and helping them escape potential threats is crucial in this context and requires Care and ressources.
"In the privileged situation of a collective working in Scandinavia withing the public grant system, it is crucial for us to understand how collectives support themselves in other countries. As an art collective, we often have the feeling of falling in between two chairs when it comes to grant schemes for cultural institutions. On the other hand, being a highly international group, we have learnt how to navigate a system that often has different priorities than that of our countries of origin. There are two points: one being a collective, one understanding how to navigate a new system."
"We are working in the field of climate justice where one of the biggest obstacles is that there are no or only limited resources available for the people living in the most affected areas of climate change.
Admin and financial transactions can be disproportionately time-consuming as well as difficult in small-budget art & culture projects, where the individual fees most likely are still relatively small. We are developing a model where we try to channel bigger bulks of money to our international partners, as it will be easier for them to pay their partners in their country/continent. This requires trust in the partners, from both us and our funder, as the payments are invoiced according to planned budgets, not for example receipts from already made purchases."
Agility and longevity are core issues related to the future, independence, and sustainability of the arts and cultural practice. Many initiatives call for extended time frames to fully realise their potential and uphold their responsibility to established relationships.
Projects within the Globus cohort employ distinctive organisational approaches. One example is the concept of 'working in bubbles’. Under this framework, the project establishes smaller internal working groups for each project or application, carefully curating the selection of individuals, tools, and structures from within the collective. Others describe themselves as an artist residency ‘without walls’, organised to navigate uncertainty in the art world as a possibility for new ideas to emerge. As a result, these projects not only have the potential to bring together renewed multidisciplinary perspectives on subjects such as working with sustainability but also to develop new working models that are more resilient to uncertainty.
Globus practitioners suggest that funders can be more supportive of such 'unconventional or yet-to-be-defined organizational models' by considering agility and longevity in their approach to funding timelines and distribution. The possibility to extend and build upon existing projects when needed through ‘ad-hoc’ or ‘add-on’ funding, could further help in the continuity of collaborations and preserve the energy and efforts of practitioners.
I guess our existence reveals a gap; there aren't many models for working in this way. Perhaps we are quite close to a residency organisation but without a residency. It is quite liberating to work without walls, a building, or a space. That's probably one source of pressure for the art field, galleries, museums, and theatres, they have a space that they need to fill and we don't have a space. We just exist somewhere without one.Seeds for Solidarity
"In Mexico, there are fundings for ongoing projects; you apply, and if successful, you win. If the project continues to grow, some institutions have special funding to continue the work for another two or three years. So maybe that's something that should be considered. If a project performs well and requires continuity, it can be extended. This funding can be extended economically over the years. It depends on each case, of course, but I've observed that this is interesting for many Mexican fundings. When they apply for a festival or a teaching program, for example, and it succeeds, they can reapply for continuity."
'..On a more philosophical level, I think it ties into this question of uncertainty and dealing with uncertainty, as our existence is based on uncertainty. We don't know what's going to happen and we are quite okay with it, and we are ready to also fail with the project. ... We are basically practicing uncertainty in the art field and supporting uncertainty and that's somehow where something new can possibly emerge. And from an organisational perspective, I guess it's the uncertainty of how we are actually doing this. For now, it's been mainly just presenting our presence - here we are, and let's talk about something that feels relevant and it starts from that."
"We divide the bubbles (working groups) according to talents or skills. Capacities that the members have, interest also. Maybe you don't know a lot about something, but you might have the interest or the skill needed. It makes it very easy and clear to understand the needs of that working group. And how much of the budget and how much money needs to be allocated to those groups. So, for us, it's a very effective way to understand what to apply for. But also the thing that I think was very great with Globus was that we combined a lot of the projects (in the application). It was very appreciated that you created an umbrella and then under this umbrella, you have all these projects"
Today, artists encounter numerous barriers in global collaborations, including complex visa processes and rejections, delayed payment processing, high fees, unpredictable exchange rates, and a lack of access to basic banking services. Moreover, communication and collaboration can be hindered by limited internet access, high data costs, and power outages.
Some practitioners have transformed the obstacles mentioned above, into opportunities to raise awareness. For instance, artists in more privileged regions have actively engaged their accountants and auditors in advocacy efforts, shedding light on the challenges faced by stateless artists when receiving payments. Others have repurposed mobility funding to provide internet access. It is essential to acknowledge the additional time and care work invested by these practitioners.
Policymakers and cultural funders in the Nordics can play a pivotal role to play in addressing and rectifying the long-standing disparities and imbalances created through colonial practices, which have persistently defined the relationship between the North and South. The future of transnational funding should be guided by a steadfast commitment to correcting the imbalances and advancing equitable access to resources essential for cultural production.
We have decided to use these difficulties (no access to bank accounts because of legal status) to our advantage. In our project, we thought about how to use the question of payment to draw attention to their legal situation. How can even our accountants and auditors be involved in a certain advocacy by acknowledging and presenting all the problems of paying our stateless artists to our donors? This is another chance to shed light on how some people in the world live.The Wedding
There are a number of challenges with international Banking from Africa to Europe and, in turn, from Europe to Africa. These include slow payment turnarounds, high transaction fees, and fluctuating exchange rates ( creating challenges for already very tight budgets). additionally, many artists don't have access to bank accounts and certain widely used payment systems such as PayPal.
"Working remotely in Africa, I'm faced with two major challenges in terms of connectivity. Electricity and Internet. Often I and my African counterparts have to work unsociable hours, such as 2 am. Nearly everyone carries two phones with two different carriers. Data and connectivity are very expensive. Often, 'expected', the burden sits with me to make the local connectivity work. The electricity cut in and out and often carries power surges that can damage your electrical equipment - phones/computers."
"We have experienced visas for artists included in our project being rejected. The rejection without solid reasons has cost us time money, and resources that we have received from the local authorities that are now being used to convince the same authorities of the need for these visas to be approved in order to carry out the project. There is a double work done: we convince local authorities to support our projects, on the other hand our collaborators get rejected the permit to stay in the country to work with us. Thus, we need to do a second round of conversing and explain to the authorities to prove the value of our project when it has already been financed. Can there be better communication between institutions, embassies and the immigration desk?"
Providing ongoing support beyond the project's initial phases to projects that have demonstrated success and exhibit potential for further growth and impact.
Moving towards collective, network, and microfunding that can organically expand and cater to networked organizational structures, while also allowing for an application process tailored to network-driven and artist-led initiatives.
Institutions and funders have the chance to cultivate a heightened awareness of their blind spots, institutional biases, the influence of unquestioned power dynamics on project language, thematic emphasis, and the concept of professionalism.