Upė Foundation Announces Diāna Mikāne and Martyna Ratnik as Baltic Curatorial Fellows

#announcement #Appointed curator #news

Upė Foundation has appointed Diāna Mikāne and Martyna Ratnik to its Curatorial Fellowship Programme. Mikāne will undertake her fellowship at the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery, while Ratnik will be based at Camden Art Centre.

The appointments mark the first time curators from the Baltic region have joined UK art institutions through the programme. Structured as full-time roles lasting between 12 and 18 months, the fellowships combine professional development and research with direct involvement in exhibition-making and public programming.

At the Hayward Gallery, Latvian curator and artist Diāna Mikāne will research artists from the Baltic region and beyond while supporting the development and delivery of major international exhibitions and programmes. The role will also provide experience across areas including public engagement, exhibition operations and the production of interpretive materials.

Mikāne’s curatorial and artistic practice engages with parafiction and the politics of space, frequently in relation to post-socialist conditions in the Baltic region. Her recent projects have been presented at venues including Part Time Gallery in Riga, the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius, Living Room in Athens and VARES Architecture Residency in Valga. She previously completed a curatorial fellowship at PUBLICS in Helsinki.

Lithuanian cultural worker Martyna Ratnik will join Camden Art Centre’s exhibitions team, contributing her research and specialist knowledge to exhibitions, events and curatorial development. Her practice focuses on moving image, curation and criticism, exploring how history can be embodied and transgressed.

Ratnik is part of the London Short Film Festival’s curatorial team, and her projects have previously been presented by the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Lithuania’s National Gallery of Art, the BFI London Film Festival, the European Media Art Festival and LUX Moving Image. She received Lithuania’s Visual Art Criticism Award in 2025 and recently completed an MA in City Design at the Royal College of Art.

Based in London, Upė Foundation supports long-term exchange between Baltic and international art communities through fellowships, partnerships and other curatorial and research initiatives.

The Foundation is now preparing the next edition of its Curatorial Fellowship Programme. Developed in partnership with Gasworks in London, the expanded programme will include a residency for a Baltic artist followed by a solo exhibition. Open calls are expected to be announced in autumn 2026.