Our Approach
BKN transcends the role of merely providing workspaces; instead, it offers participants the freedom to explore and experiment across a wide range of disciplines.
By welcoming several guests at the same time, a dynamic environment for creative exchange is created — a place where artists can connect, share their processes, and open new directions in their work.
This collective setting enables continuous feedback, helping participants refine their practices, develop new techniques, and elevate the quality of their production. By the end of the program, artists have not only experienced personal and professional growth, but also expanded their networks and gained visibility across multiple platforms.
We welcome artists at all stages of their artistic practice.
What matters most is that you have a strong sense of drive, are deeply engaged in your art, and are willing to be both attentive and vulnerable in encounters with other artists. Our self‑directed open calls are aimed at sound‑based artists, visual artists, performance artists, as well as researchers and curators.
Most of our resident artists come from the visual or performance fields, but this does not exclude other forms of expression. We can also host duos or groups — up to nine artists at the same time. For larger groups, we can assist in finding accommodation in the area.
Since our start in 2020, we have welcomed nearly 200 artists. At BKN, you will always meet both Stockholm‑based and international artists. You need to be comfortable communicating in English.
BKN cultivates a collegial environment grounded in the idea of “thinking together, learning together,” an atmosphere strengthened through informal sessions and public activities.
The site functions as a resource and a public forum for exploration and experimentation, where participants are encouraged to work in a site‑sensitive manner or delve into specific conditions unique to BKN. As part of the program, artists are required to meet with a curator during the assessment process to ensure that their project aligns with BKN’s ethos.
BKN encourages experimentation and artistic development within a supportive environment. With a strong focus on collaboration and artistic growth, BKN fosters community through exhibitions, workshops, and artist talks, creating valuable opportunities for networking and collaboration. With a commitment to sustainability and inclusion, Fair Studios offers a welcoming setting where artists can grow and deepen their practices.
Many of the projects created at BKN interlink with new materialism.
Artists come from a wide range of fields, including photography, drawing, painting, performance, walking and walking‑based practices, as well as critical ecology and socially engaged approaches.
We are looking for artists at every stage of their artistic life who are willing to be vulnerable and to listen as they learn. In most cases, we are not asking you to produce finished work, but rather to expand your practice. We often share sessions over joint meals or walks; at times we do studio visits, invite the community to interventions, or simply take part in each other’s processes.
BKN — a resource and a public forum for exploration and experimentation
