How can I present my exhibition idea in the best possible way?
What should be included in an exhibition plan and application?

An essential part of the application is presenting the exhibition plan and explaining the exhibition idea in a clear way through images and words. Your artistic practice may have many interesting themes and directions, but it is important to remember that not everything needs to, or can, be included in the exhibition application. Instead, it is better to focus on the core themes, background, and goals of the proposed exhibition.

You can use the following questions to guide you:

• What is your exhibition about? Is there a common theme or thread joining the artworks together? What kinds of questions do you explore in your artworks? What are you investigating, or what do you want to express?
• How do you plan to implement the exhibition? It is important to be specific: the goal is for the evaluator to get a clear understanding of what your exhibition might look like, and what elements it might include. What does the execution of the exhibition/ artworks require in terms of space usage?
• If your exhibition includes material that is not suitable for all ages, have you considered how this will be managed in practice and communicated to the audience?
• Would you like to include any special events as part of your exhibition?

Why wasn’t my application selected?

An unsuccessful application is often due to the fact that there are more applications than exhibition slots. Other reasons might include: Did the application include all attachments? Did the video links open? Are the ideas in the application practically feasible? If the foundation of your work lies in something other than photographic art, did your application provide a strong enough connection to the field of photographic art, or was it well justified?

The soundscape of your work may also have had an impact, as we cannot select many works with strong soundscapes for the same year. We generally prefer not to have sound works in both spaces simultaneously, and in some cases, sound can pose an occupational health risk, as sounds from the artworks can travel into the working areas of the staff due to structural deficiencies in the space.

The curation of the exhibition programme for the entire year is a significant factor in the selection process. The goal of the exhibition committee is to produce a programme that represents the diversity of the photographic art field throughout the year, and to consider a diverse range of artists. This includes, for example, examining different techniques.

The goal is also kept in mind when considering the overall programme from an audience’s perspective, ensuring that not too many works on similar themes are selected for the same year. The aims guiding the exhibition committee’s assessment mean that many excellent applications are left out, which is why it’s worthwhile to apply again. 

Applicants requesting both spaces must provide strong justification for using both exhibition spaces, as the number of applicants is high compared to the number of available exhibition times and opportunities.

Why is feedback not provided for applications?

All those involved in the evaluation process read every application independently, after which decisions are made through discussion during an intensive review day. In this group discussion, the evaluators explain the reasoning behind their selections. Since reviewing the applications and the intensive review day are both very demanding in terms of workload, and the committee members perform this peer review work with little compensation, the issue mainly comes down to resources. The exhibition committee hopes that in the future arts funding will improve, which would provide better resources for feedback practices.

I would still like to receive some feedback to improve my application. How could that happen?

From the artist’s perspective, receiving feedback is important. Do you have a colleague who could give you feedback on your application, or whom you could ask about the questions that are on your mind? The feedback provider could also be another professional in the art field, or you could explore the websites of artists who have already held exhibitions, as well as application texts published by certain organisations, such as on the Kone Foundation’s website: https://koneensaatio.fi/tuetut/ (grants & residencies).

How is the evaluation group formed, and who ends up in it?

The annual exhibition programme is overseen by a 3-5-person exhibition committee, whose members and chair are selected by the association’s board, with the Exhibition Coordinator of Photographic Gallery Hippolyte acting as the preparatory secretary. A committee member steps down and is replaced by a new member every two years.

In addition to the exhibition committee members, two external evaluators are invited for each application round. One of them is from outside the association and often represents an institution, such as a museum or university. The other is a non-board member of the Association of Photographic Artists. When selecting external evaluators, the internal diversity of the group is also considered. External evaluators receive a small compensation for their work. 

The exhibition committee meets at the invitation of Photographic Gallery Hippolyte’s Exhibition Coordinator, who serves as the committee’s secretary and presenter of the applications. The Exhibition Coordinator reviews the applications and participates in the group’s intensive evaluation day, but does not evaluate the applications or take part in decision-making.

How does the evaluation group practically review the applications and carry out the evaluation?

The evaluators must first familiarise themselves with the values and strategy of the Association of Photographic Artists, as well as the Equality and Non-Discrimination Plan 2021–2024 by the Finnish Artists’ Association, which partially guides the evaluation process. All those involved in the evaluation process review the applications independently, using a matrix to assist in the evaluation. The matrix scores three areas on a scale of 1–5: the artist’s profile, the quality of the artistic idea, and its suitability for the context.

The results from the matrix provide the foundation for the group’s intensive evaluation day, during which the applications are discussed collectively. Decisions about the exhibition slots are made through discussion and negotiation, with the goal of selecting a programme for the entire year that represents photographic art and its expanded field as diversely and qualitatively as possible.

How is it ensured that those participating in the evaluation process do not select themselves, nor their close associates, for the awarded slots?

Members of the evaluation group cannot apply for exhibition slots at Hippolyte while they are making decisions about exhibition times. Similarly, members of the Association of Photographic Artists’ board cannot apply for exhibition slots during their term on the board. Evaluators receive instructions that require them to consider their own conflicts of interest concerning the applicants. For example, family and friend relationships, sharing a studio with another artist, and close collaborative projects are automatically considered close relationships, meaning the evaluator must declare themselves as having a conflict of interest and therefore not participate in the decision-making discussion regarding that applicant’s proposal.

The Association of Photographic Artists has initiated a continuous development process for the exhibition application evaluation in 2023, which involves gathering, sharing good practices, and increasing transparency. The goal is to ensure a sustainable and consistent process, while also accounting for changes in the composition of the exhibition committee according to terms and for external evaluators in each application round.