Post-Digital Extensions is a mentorship and artistic production initiative, part of Open Practice Society, originating from Timișoara and extending to Oulu and Varjakka in Finland. The project will adapt a series of works developed in a local context, to an international audience, in a collaborative framework as an artistic residency dedicated to young Romanian artists, which will take place in Finland, in the cities of Oulu and Varjakka, between August 8 and 18.
The project is the continuation of the Post-Digital Intersections artistic mentorship program, developed during Timișoara 2023 – European Capital of Culture, which offered a group of 12 artists and theoreticians from Romania, selected through an open call, access to mentorship and support for artistic research and production. They had the opportunity to collaborate throughout the program, both amongst themselves, and with international artists and curators. In this new stage, alumni Alexandra Costea and Anca Șișu were selected as artists in residence in Finland, during a call for projects dedicated to last year’s participants, developing the cultural exchange between the two countries and strengthening the network of communication and influence of the European Capitals of Culture (which Oulu will join in 2026).
Post-Digital Extensions aims to adapt the works, ideas and methodologies developed last year in Timișoara to the cultural and artistic context in Oulu. Thus, the young Romanian artists will work in a collegial, transparent and open system with artists, curators and international researchers which are invited as mentors. The Finnish association T A I K A B O X from Varjakka, as well as other collaborators from their national network, from Oulu, will offer feedback and support sessions for the development of projects created last year. The artworks developed by the two young artists will be part of an exhibition between august 15 and 17 at the Oulu Urban Culture artistic space, part of the Oulu Arts Night event.
Several cultural mediation events will further connect the residency participants and invitees to the local audience. Alexandra Costea and Anca Șișu will facilitate two workshops with the local community in Varjakka, between August 12 and 14. And on August 16, we will organize a round table with the two residents, joined by Andrei Tudose (the initiator and curator of the program), Sabina Suru (mentor), Annick Bureaud (FR, mentor) and Jan Świerkowski (PT/PL, mentor), offering new opportunities for extension of the professional networks and of the activities devised for Oulu 2026, in direct connection with the Timișoara 2023 experience.
In October, the project returns to Timișoara, where Marginal, in collaboration with Asociația Foc și Pară and Simultan, will organize an event dedicated to the local cultural workers. At Indecis independent art space, the team will share the experiences and perspectives gathered in Finland, thus creating new opportunities for the local art scene, and providing a symmetrical and complete form for the international exchange.
