Frame Contemporary Art Finland is organising an internship programme for the exhibition at the Finnish Pavilion at the 60th Venice Art Biennale in 2024. The interns act as the exhibition personnel and run daily operations of the Pavilion of Finland during the biennale.
Who can apply
The internship programme is aimed for art students of Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences. The internship is primarily for students of curating, arts management, art education, art history and fine arts interested in gaining on-site experience in the daily operations of an international art biennial.
What does the internship offer?
The internship programme offers the applicant a unique opportunity to work at the oldest contemporary art biennial in the world and gain valuable knowledge on how biennial exhibitions are run. In addition to the international work experience, the interns will get the opportunity to explore over 80 national pavilions at the Biennale, giving an overview of the most current contemporary art of today.
Tasks
The interns act as the exhibition personnel and invigilators at the Pavilion of Finland. They oversee and run daily operations of the pavilion located at the heart of the historical biennial park, Giardini di Castello. The interns tasks include:
- hosting exhibition guests, telling about the exhibition and Finnish contemporary art to individual visitors and occasionally as part of guided tours.
- opening and closing the pavilion exhibition daily
- daily management of the pavilion and artworks together with local technical support
- occasional communications (short texts and photos) for social media
- The interns may also take part in writing articles about the biennale, which will be compensated separately.
The trainees are supported in Venice by their local supervisor and in Finland by the exhibition’s project manager.
When does the internship take place?
The duration of the internship is 9–11 weeks, taking place either between 15 April–16 June 2024 or 17 June–31 August 2024. Two interns are selected for each period, and they will work with local staff onsite.
The Venice Biennale is open to the public six days a week, from Tuesday to Sunday (with some exceptions) from 11 am to 7 pm. The interns will work approximately 37 hours per week.
Before the internship starts, all interns will be invited to an induction session in Helsinki to introduce them to the tasks, the exhibitions and the city of Venice.
What will be covered for the interns?
- An internship salary of 1 400 € per month.
- VeneziaUnica City Pass used for public transportation and other services.
- Free access to the Biennale exhibitions and local museums.
- Frame rents a shared apartment (with separate bedrooms) within a 10-minute walking distance from the Giardini exhibition venue, for the interns to use for a fee of 350 € / month / intern. The interns may also arrange their own accommodation according to their wishes, but this will not be compensated.
The trainees may include the traineeship in their studies and receive credit from their university according to their university criteria. Selected interns are encouraged to apply for additional funding from their respective universities in the form of internship subsidy or other support the candidate may be eligible for.
The applicant
The applicant is expected to have good knowledge of the Finnish contemporary art field. We appreciate the capability to work independently in an international environment and engage pro-actively with audiences on a daily basis. Also the ability to react and adapt to surprising situations is a benefit: the working environment can vary e.g. due to weather conditions and large number of biennial visitors.
Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.
Frame advocates equity within the contemporary art field. We encourage applications from candidates of varied ages, genders, social class and linguistic, cultural, or other minorities. If you belong to any of these groups, please feel free to indicate this in your application. All information will be processed confidentially.
Application
Please send your motivation letter (about 1 page describing why you are applying for this internship and what would be your strengths) and CV (in a single PDF file) in English by 10 December 2023 at 11.59 pm (Finnish time GMT +2) to rekry@frame-finland.fi.
Please name the PDF file with Surname_Firstname and include “Venice Biennale Internship” in your email’s subject line.
Please mention in the motivation letter your availability and/or preference for the internship period (15 April–16 June / 17 June–31 August). We aim to accommodate the wishes of the applicants regarding the period of their internship.
Inquiries regarding the internship:
Francesco Raccanelli, Project Coordinator
Frame Contemporary Art Finland
francesco.raccanelli@frame-finland.fi
t. 046 526 7853
Please make any calls regarding the internship only on Wednesdays from 1 pm to 3 pm.
Frame Contemporary Art Finland
Frame is an advocate for Finnish contemporary art. Frame supports international initiatives, facilitate professional partnerships, and promote the visibility of Finnish art abroad through grants, a visitor programme and residencies, seminars and talks, exhibition collaborations and network platforms. Since 2013 Frame Contemporary Art Finland has been the commissioner and producer of the exhibition of Finland at the Alvar Aalto Pavilion.
Photo by Kent Märjamaa.