The Nordic Culture Fund has granted DKK 4.190.000 in Globus FORWARD funding

The funded initiatives span a wide range of themes and approaches – from advancing Indigenous leadership within experimental music across the circumpolar North to Australia and Brazil, to strengthening strategic collaboration among organisations promoting diversity and freedom of expression for underrepresented artists in the Nordics, as well as developing network-based infrastructures for artistic practices across Asia, Europe, and beyond.

The Globus initiative is aligned with the Fund’s current strategy period 2019-2025 and is therefore set to conclude in its current format at the end of 2025. The Fund is currently in the process of analysing and summarising the overall results and achievements of the Globus initiative from 2020 to 2025. Updates on future developments within the Fund’s new strategy period will be announced during the spring 2026.

List of granted initiatives within Globus FORWARD:

• N-SAVEN: Nordic-SWANA Artists Voice and Expression Network by Masahat for Arab Culture in Exile – 500 000 DKK

N-SAVEN’s goal is to advance freedom of expression, diversity, and cultural rights for artists and audiences in the Nordics. A key focus is increasing the visibility of SWANA and minority artists in public discourse and mainstream institutions. To achieve this, N-SAVEN aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of three organisations by organising symposiums, organisational labs, peer-to-peer support and expert trainings.

• Constellations by Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival – 500 000 DKK

Guided by Indigenous leadership, the initiative aims to provide visibility, skills, artistic exchange and professional opportunities for Indigenous emerging music artists. The goal is to set up sustainable connections between concert organisers, Indigenous communities and local contexts, laying the groundwork for long-term impact on the global arts scene.

• Sustaining the Otherwise by The Global Art Project – 490 000 DKK

A multi-locational research and artistic project about restitution, reparation and transformation that offers a space for artists, curators, and scholars to be in dialogue and to explore the topic of restitution in relation to both material and immaterial culture, and an opportunity to exchange knowledge and expand upon existing networks. Focusing on artistic practices, the program includes artistic programming, exhibitions, publications, residencies and the creation of an accessible archive.

• HOUSE OF STORIES by Mie Kanø – 500 000 DKK

Building on previous collaboration, the House of Stories aims to establish a long-term platform and organisation for strengthening relationships between artists who share a passion for theatre but come from vastly different contexts. Activities include meetings and exchange between playwrights from the MENA region and directors from Nordic countries to develop methods and relationships that will further ripple outward into festivals, theatres, and cultural institutions across both regions.

• OVEN Agency by Tenthaus – 500 000 DKK

OVEN establishes as a transnational agency for bridging geographies, time zones, and temporalities. Emerging from a network of long-term collaborations, it aims to build infrastructures through publishing, education, curating, and consultancy. The long-term vision is to develop a stable framework for the agency’s long-term operations and knowledge transfer. The collaboration builds on a wide network of cultural actors, including artists, curators, educators and researchers, connected across Asia, Europe and beyond.

• Pan-ArcticVision by NORDTING – 500 000 DKK

Pan-ArcticVision is a nomadic yearly broadcasted musical event resembling the Eurovison, using artistic strategies as a tool for societal change, fostering cross-border cultural exchange and strengthening of local and Arctic communities and identities. The collaboration is led by the artist initiative NORDTING (NO), with partners in all Arctic territories. The aim now is to increase contact and knowledge sharing between partners, to expand public reach and to strengthen project organization.

• Music Policy Resilience Network Expansion by Center for Music Ecosystems – 490 000 DKK

The Music Policy Resilience Network aims to grow into an independent network that places music at the center of economic and resilience plans for remote, rural, and isolated communities. The network currently consists of 19 cities around the world. The aim of the planned activities is to expand memberships and strengthen internal capabilities within advocacy and communication.

• Visual Atlas of the American Monster (VAAM) by Mecha SAS – 300 000 DKK

VAAM is a transdisciplinary platform that chronicles fictionalized accounts of Indigenous resistance against extractivist violence, reframed through the lens of monstrous imagery. Nurtured by cultural exchange between Latin America and Nordic/European contexts, VAAM manifests as a website, exhibition series, and publication. With support from Globus FORWARD, the aim is to scale up the project while laying the groundwork for its long-term sustainability as a collaborative, decolonial organization.

• Southeast Asia Artistic Freedom RADAR Research and Documentation Network: Mapping Resilience Project by ArtsEquator – 410 000 DK

Launched in Jan 2022, RADAR is the only network focusing on artistic freedom that is regional, locally run and based in Southeast Asia (SEA). The Mapping Resilience project aims to build interdependent partnerships and alliances with human rights organisations(HROs), NGOs and cultural intermediaries (CIs) to increase the effectiveness, sustainability and safety of RADAR.