Cultural Mobility Forum 2025 (Riga, Latvia & Online)

Tuesday 29 April & Wednesday 30 April 2025 in Riga, Latvia, & online

Register here for online and on-site attendance.

Co-hosted by NDPC, Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture and in partnership with Riga Cirks and HowlRound. The Forum is co-funded by the European Union, part of the New Solidarities’ project (2025–2028).

Each year On the Move proposes a Cultural Mobility Forum to collectively investigate international artistic and cultural mobility trends. As a unique knowledge platform, the network works together with its members and partners to design thematic panel discussions and contextualise global mobility issues.

Focus 2025: Revisiting the International Mobility of Young and Emerging Arts Workers

As the world emerged from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the career trajectories of young and emerging artists and culture professionals faced profound challenges. For many, their early careers began in the context of remote-only training, virtual internships, or online graduations, conditions that hindered vital networking and sector engagement. The pandemic interrupted the journeys of emerging artists and, in too many cases, led to abandonment of artistic pursuits altogether. Data is scarce on those who may have reoriented their paths, raising questions: In 2025, who is genuinely prepared to pursue an artistic career in the face of such profound uncertainties? How do digital development, mobility justice issues, climate concerns, and international world uncertainties influence their appetite to embrace an international pathway?

Through these themes, the Cultural Mobility Forum 2025 will foster critical dialogue on the pathways forward for young and emerging artists and culture professionals, offering perspectives on how international mobility, inclusivity, and sustainability can be reimagined for a resilient arts and culture sector.

Programme

Venue: Rīgas cirks, Merķeļa iela 4, Rīga https://cirks.lv/en

All times listed below are for Riga, Latvia; for your time, check this link.

TUESDAY 29 APRIL 2025

14:00–18:00	Cultural Mobility Forum (part I)
14:00–14:30	Welcome words and introduction
14:30–15:45	Panel 1. Arts education and cultural management programmes: embedding the internationalisation of practices Panellists: Paolo Montemurro (Materahub, Italy) and Aparajita Dutta (University of the Arts The Hague, the Netherlands) Moderator: Mirela Travar (Novi prostori kulture, Croatia)
15:45–16:15	Coffee break
16:15–17:45	Panel 2. Transitioning to the international arts & culture ecosystem: revisited motivations and challenges Panellists: Adam Svoboda (Prague Quadriennale, Czech Republic) and Jennifer Lee (Mekong Cultural Hub, Taiwan) Moderator: Maïa Sert (ANdÉA-National Association of Higher Schools of Art, France)
17:45–18:00	Interim conclusions

WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL 2025

9:00–12:30	Cultural Mobility Forum (part II)
09:00–09:15	Welcome words and introduction
09:15–10:30	Panel 3. Points of departure, points of arrival: young arts workers reviewing international relations Panellists: Niusha Khanmohammadi (artist, Sweden) and Bahdan Khmialnitski (Goethe-Institut Georgia) Moderator: Olu Alake (The Africa Centre, United Kingdom)
10:30–11:00	Coffee break
11:00–12:15	Panel 4. Takeaways and recommendations Rapporteurs: Clara Passarinho (Portugal), Katrīna Dūka (Latvia), Andrew Ogun (United Kingdom), Ikars Graždanovičs (Latvia), Lina Allia (Algeria), Karu Treij (Latvia) Moderator: Yohann Floch (On the Move)
12:15–12:30	Final conclusions