Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowships – Hayward Gallery (UK) & Tallinn Art Hall (Estonia)

Institution: Upė Foundation (in partnership with Hayward Gallery & Tallinn Art Hall)
Deadline: 12 January 2026 – 12:00 GMT
Location: London (UK) & Tallinn (Estonia)

The Upė Foundation launches its inaugural Curatorial Fellowship Programme, offering two 18-month full-time placements in partnership with the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery (UK) and Tallinn Art Hall (Estonia). The programme is designed to strengthen exchange between the Baltic region and international contemporary art communities, supporting early-career curators through professional development, institutional mentorship and embedded curatorial experience.

Fellowship Format

• Two separate 18-month full-time fellowships (April 2026–April 2027)
• Possibility of a 6-month extension upon mutual agreement
• Placement either at Hayward Gallery (for curators from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) or Tallinn Art Hall (for UK-based curators)
• Fellows work within the institution’s curatorial team, gaining experience in exhibitions, public programming and research
• Structured mentorship and integration into institutional workflows
• Opportunity to develop individual curatorial practice while contributing to major programmes
• Focus on building networks across the UK and Baltic art ecosystems

Programme Highlights

• Tallinn Art Hall Fellowship
  • Work within Estonia’s largest and oldest contemporary art institution (est. 1934)
  • Opportunity to curate the inaugural programme in a new black-box space opening in November 2026
  • Scope to develop proposals across moving image, performance, sound and object-based practices
  • Support from three in-house project managers and mentorship from the curatorial team
  • Ability to initiate independent projects while engaging with the institution’s wider programming
• Hayward Gallery Fellowship
  • Embedded full-time in a major UK contemporary art gallery within the Southbank Centre
  • Contribution to exhibitions and public programmes
  • Research responsibility focused on Baltic-region artists and broader international contexts
  • Hands-on experience with logistics for major international exhibitions
  • Development of skills in public engagement, interpretation, operations and institutional practice