Upė Foundation and Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery are pleased to launch the first Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship in London, as part of Upė’s inaugural Curatorial Fellowship Programme bridging the Baltic region and the UK.

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Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship at Hayward Gallery is a full-time, 12-month position for a Baltic early-career curator, due to start in April 2026, with the possibility of a further 6-month extension (18 months in total) upon review and mutual decision. Relocation to London, United Kingdom, is required.

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Upė Foundation is a new London-based organisation with a core aim to provide new platforms for dialogue and exchange between the Baltic region and contemporary art communities internationally. Upė begins its work with a series of Curatorial Fellowships with major institutions – Hayward Gallery and Tallinn Art Hall – to support the next generation of curators across the UK and the Baltic countries.

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About Hayward Gallery

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The Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery is a world-renowned contemporary art gallery. As part of the largest arts centre in the UK, the Hayward Gallery has been at the centre of London’s cultural life since it was established in 1968 and remains committed to creating a place where people can come together to experience bold, unusual, entertaining and eye-opening work.

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About the fellowship role

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The Gallery’s diverse exhibition programme features influential artists from across the world and major international group shows exploring pivotal themes and issues. Embedded across exhibitions and public programming, the Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship offers the selected curator full-time work and structured professional development within the curatorial team, while also recognising the value of Baltic research networks, perspectives and artistic contexts. The Fellow will be responsible for conducting research on artists from the Baltic region and beyond, assisting with the logistics of bringing major international shows to life. The role is designed to expand the Fellow’s skill set, from public engagement to practical training in operations such as developing interpretation materials.

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Key eligibility criteria

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· Has relevant and demonstrable curatorial experience. Preference will be given to emerging practitioners who have not held full-time roles in museums and/or other major institutions;
· Has demonstrable research and administration skills, with a methodical approach and attention to detail;
· Has a higher education qualification (BA, MA or equivalent) in a relevant field such as curating, art history, visual culture or related disciplines;
· Has a strong connection to, or sustained engagement with, the Baltic region (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and their diasporas). Examples include lived experience or heritage, working knowledge of a Baltic language, ongoing research or teaching, or a significant body of relevant curatorial work.

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Salary & Job description

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The full job description is available here.

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How to apply

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Please apply by completing the application through the application portal here.

Application deadline: 12:00 (noon) UK time, Monday 12 January 2026
Interviews: February 2026
Start date: April 2026

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Selection process

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Applications will be reviewed jointly by Upė Foundation and Hayward Gallery. Following an initial assessment, a shortlist of candidates will be invited to a first-round online interview with representatives from both organisations. A smaller group of finalists will be invited to a second interview. The selection panel will include members of Upė Foundation and Hayward Gallery. Decisions are made by consensus, with agreement required from the full panel at each stage.

Upė Foundation and Tallinn Art Hall are pleased to launch the first Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship in Tallinn, as part of Upė’s inaugural Curatorial Fellowship Programme between the Baltic region and the UK.

Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship at Tallinn Art Hall is a full-time, 12-month position, due to start in April 2026, with the possibility of a further 6-month extension (total 18 months) upon review and mutual decision. Relocation to Tallinn, Estonia is required.

Upė Foundation is a new London-based organisation with a core aim to provide new platforms for dialogue and exchange between the Baltic region and contemporary art communities internationally. Upė begins its work with a series of Curatorial Fellowships with major institutions – Hayward Gallery and Tallinn Art Hall – to support the next generation of curators across the UK and the Baltic countries.

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About Tallinn Art Hall

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Established in 1934, Tallinn Art Hall is the largest and oldest commissioner, producer and exhibitor of contemporary art in Estonia. The institution is currently undertaking a full renovation of its historic building on Tallinn’s main square, scheduled to reopen in November 2026.

As part of this renovation, Tallinn Art Hall is developing a new, flexible black-box venue beneath the historic building. The space will be approximately 100 m², with retractable seating for 50–60 people, a height of around 5.5 m, a 3×3 m roof hatch for loading large works, a roof window with blackout option, super-silent air pressure for pneumatic artworks, a motorised track system for hanging lights and artworks, and a large built-in screen and projector. The incoming Fellow will be able to shape final equipment choices in line with their proposed programme

Tallinn Art Hall produces 5–6 exhibitions per year, presenting local and international artists and engaging with urgent social and political questions. The renovated building will open with a group exhibition curated by Tamara Luuk and Siim Preiman, focusing on shifting representations of nature in Estonian art from 19th-century painting to contemporary commissions, followed by an extension of Merike Estna’s Estonian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

The new black box is conceived as a space for cross-disciplinary, experimental practice that responds to Tallinn Art Hall’s wider programme while also allowing for independent initiatives.

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About the Fellowship role

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Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellow will be responsible for conceiving and curating the inaugural programme for the new, cross-disciplinary black box space.

Most of the programme is expected to maintain a dialogue with Tallinn Art Hall’s main exhibitions, while leaving room for independent projects and formats initiated by the Fellow. Preliminary directions for the space include:

Art exhibitions

• Solo exhibitions (with a focus on new commissions, including site-specific work)
  
• Duo projects (for example, pairing an artist with a practitioner from another field)
  
• Installation displays

Supporting programmes

• Film and video screenings linked to current exhibitions
  
• Lectures and talks on subjects linked to main programmes at Tallinn Art Hall
  
• Presentations by Tallinn Art Hall resident artists and resident chefs
  
• Concerts and sound programmes by artists

Collaborations and experiments

• Encounters between contemporary dance and performance art
  
• Screenings of archival artist films
  
• More playful and speculative uses of the space, which could range from experiments with large-scale set pieces (e.g., an air mattress accessed via the roof hatch) to occasional club-adjacent events

The Fellow will be expected to:

• Develop a coherent curatorial vision and multi-part programme for the cross-disciplinary black box space
  
• Align and agree the programme with the Director and in-house curators
  
• Initiate and maintain relationships with artists and collaborators
  
• Draft and oversee agreements with artists and partners
  
• Lead on the curatorial, conceptual and structural aspects of the programme, working closely with the production team

They will receive day-to-day production support from three in-house project managers and mentoring from Tallinn Art Hall’s curators and Director, as needed.

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Eligibility criteria

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Applicants should have:

• 1–5 years of relevant curatorial experience.
  
• Higher education qualification (BA, MA or equivalent) in curating, art history, visual culture, or related disciplines.
  
• Shall be a UK citizen, resident, or otherwise able to prove UK affiliation (e.g. settled/pre-settled status, long-term residency, or equivalent). 
• Strong preference given to emerging practitioners who have not held full-time roles in major institutions or museums, able to demonstrate experience and initiative in running small-scale, self-directed projects, spaces, or frameworks.

Tallinn Art Hall and Upė Foundation will fully support the process of arranging the Estonian work and residence permit.

What the Fellowship offers:

• A monthly salary equivalent to the Estonian average published income, currently 2213 EUR gross
  
• Fully funded Estonian health insurance
  
• Initial flights to Tallinn
  
• A brand new MacBook
  
• A fully funded 4-day research trip to the opening days of the Venice Biennale 2026, together with Tallinn Art Hall colleagues
  
• Support in finding accommodation and settling in
  
• Assistance in arranging the residence and work permits
  
• Very flexible office hours
  
• A collaborative environment and ‘amazing people to work with’

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How to apply

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Please send the following materials in a single PDF file (in English) to upefellow@kunstihoone.ee:

• CV
  
• Motivational letter (maximum 1 A4 page), outlining your interest in Tallinn Art Hall, the black box space and this specific opportunity
  
• Programme proposal for the black box (maximum 3 A4 pages), including your curatorial approach and indicative ideas for how you would structure the programme over 12–18 months

If you have any questions before applying, you can contact Tallinn Art Hall via upefellow@kunstihoone.ee.

Application deadline: 12:00 (noon) UK time, Monday 12 January 2026
Interviews: Late January-February 2026

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Selection process

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Applications will be reviewed jointly by Upė Foundation and Tallinn Art Hall. Following an initial assessment, a shortlist of candidates will be invited to a first-round online interview with representatives from both organisations. A smaller group of finalists will be invited to a second interview. The selection panel will include members of Upė Foundation and Tallinn Art Hall. Decisions are made by consensus, with agreement required from the full panel at each stage.

London, 3 December 2025 — After months of preparation and eager anticipation, we are delighted to launch Upė Foundation, a new London-based organisation dedicated to creating platforms for dialogue and exchange between the Baltic region and art communities internationally. Our work begins with a series of Curatorial Fellowships, developed in partnership with major institutions – the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery, Tallinn Art Hall and Camden Art Centre – to support the next generation of curators across the UK and the Baltic countries.

Next week, on 10 December, we will open the first calls for applications for the inaugural round of Upė Curatorial Fellowship Programme at the Hayward Gallery, London, and Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn. This programme will offer early-career curators the opportunity to take up an 18-month curatorial role within a partner institution, working full-time as part of its team while developing their own practice. Each round will consist of two fellowships – one at a leading Baltic institution and one at a major international institution – reflecting our commitment to horizontal, two-way exchange. Fellows will be embedded in exhibition-making, public programming and research, receiving institutional support and mentorship. The programme provides the conditions to develop their skills, experience and professional networks. It offers Baltic curators a framework to bring their knowledge of Baltic art into international contexts and, in turn, supports UK curators to work within Baltic institutions and open new perspectives within the region’s art scenes.

In Spring 2026, Upė will partner with Camden Art Centre to launch an open call for emerging Baltic curators to apply for a Curatorial Fellowship at their institution. Throughout 2026, the programme will expand to include further partners, with the aim that future cohorts will move in multiple directions, between the Baltic region and the UK, and later across broader geographies, from neighbouring regions to less-explored connections. The foundation takes its name from the Lithuanian and Latvian word for 'river' – upė: a reference to movement, exchange and the flow of ideas across different contexts. This sense of flow underpins the fellowship model: a channel for curators to move between institutions, practices and ways of working, carrying gained insight forward.

Upė launches at a moment when global conversations in culture are becoming more decentralised, and new relationships between places are transforming how art is experienced and discussed. We believe that in this increasingly plural (others would say, multipolar) field, the ability to articulate one’s own context, and to enter dialogue on equal footing, becomes both an opportunity and a responsibility. With faith that this moment, while uncertain, holds possibilities for self-determination, transregional collaboration and solidarity, we step into it offering structures for exchange rooted in shared, exploratory work, research and long-term relationships. Upė will look for ways in which ideas can move more freely beyond inherited cultural hierarchies and centres of gravity.

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We begin Upė's journey with faith that new relationships, ideas and forms in art emerge through shared experiences, movement and dialogue across different contexts. London, a city closely tied to Baltic artists, students and wider diasporas, and to both of us, felt like a natural starting point for continual conversation. The Curatorial Fellowship Programme, inaugurating Upė, is our first step in building these bridges, hoping that those who move through them will carry the river's flow in many unanticipated, unruly directions.

We are truly grateful for all the support we have received so far and could not be more thrilled for what lies ahead and where this river will take all of us.

— Adomas Narkevičius, Justas Janauskas (co-founders, Upė Foundation)

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