Kai is an expert within the creative sphere, who has in recent years concentrated on Sweden-Finnishness. The objective of the project is to create an arctic hub for residencies in Ii and to strengthen the residency network of northern Finland.
“I am thrilled that ResArtis, the global network of artist residencies, is establishing an office here in Ii. Although these are turbulent times when it comes to international contacts, this is exactly the right moment for sharpening the pencils and mapping out future possibilities. Climatic factors and other global trends have an increasingly big impact also on future cultural activities. This project aims at strengthening the vitality and competence of our residencies with keeping the global challenges in mind,” concludes Latvalehto.
The KRIPA-project is based on the appeal of rural surroundings and the growth potential in the creative field. The objective of the innovative network is to create permanent supporting structures for the field and to increase the international competence for the local cultural actors. KRIPA is based on a previously conducted development plan for artistic residencies in Northern Ostrobothnia, which included nearly all municipalities of the region in co-operation with the City of Oulu.
Kai Latvalehto’s PhD from 2018 was a study on Sweden-Finnish cultural identity. The Northern Ostrobothnia Finnish Cultural Fund nominated Latvalehto’s Sweden-Finnish Cultural Embassy initiative as its lighthouse project of 2019.