Career paths and experiences of belonging to the art field vary considerably among artists with a foreign background

The study involved 20 artists born outside Finland, representing a range of backgrounds and fields of art.

Having a foreign background was neither clearly an advantage nor a disadvantage for the interviewees. For many, their background, international experience and multilingualism were resources in their artistic work. Some artists, however, felt that their origin affected their work opportunities in Finland, as well as the kinds of works they were expected to create and how their art was interpreted.

Networks, tacit knowledge of the field and trust affect opportunities to operate in the art field. The importance of language skills for work opportunities and access to networks varies by field of art and type of work, and it is particularly significant in the fields of theatre and literature. Interviewees also described situations in which their expertise and international experience were not always recognised and valued.

Artists with a foreign background do not form a homogeneous group in terms of their experiences. The significance of background varies according to life situation, field of art and working environment, and intersects with factors such as language, skin colour, gender, functional ability and time spent in Finland.

Experiences of direct racism occurred more often elsewhere in society than in the art field. Within the art field, inequality manifested itself, for example, through othering and assumptions associated with a person’s background.

The experiences of the same interviewee could include both a strong sense of belonging and situations in which their expertise or belonging was called into question.

Many interviewees perceived the art field as having become more open and diverse, although experiences of a closed operating environment—where nationally shaped practices remained strong—also emerged.

In 2023, Cupore published its first diversity report, commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Culture, which examined the position of artists with a foreign background in Finland on the basis of existing statistical and research data. The report identified gaps in the knowledge base and indications of inequalities related to origin in the arts. The new study deepens this examination through interviews with 20 artists.

Read the study in Finnish and the summary in English:

Ulkomaalaistaustaisten taiteilijoiden työurat ja toimintaedellytykset Suomessa: Haastattelututkimus