NEWS From 16 to 18 June 2026, artists, researchers, cultural practitioners and decision-makers from across the circumpolar region will gather in Umeå for Arctic Arts Summit. But you do not need to be a conference participant to take part. The city will be filled with exhibitions, public art, film, talks and off-summit activities, with ͯÑÕÊÓƵ contributing an artistic research programme partly open to the public.
Northern Lights over Umeå city
ImageFredrik Larsson / Visit UmeåThe Arctic is often described through climate change, security policy and natural resources. But the Arctic is also about people’s homes, culture, experiences and creativity.
That is one of the starting points when Arctic Arts Summit is held in Umeå. This year’s theme, Land, Power, Art, focuses on how art and culture can contribute to the understanding of societal change in the North.
Umeå University is one of the co-hosts of Arctic Arts Summit 2026. In connection with the event, an open programme is also being carried out with, among others, UmArts, Tráhppie Sámi Cultural Centre, Arctic Centre, Várdduo and University of the Arctic.
Arctic Centre at Umeå University works to gather, highlight and strengthen the university’s Arctic research. During Arctic Arts Summit, that role becomes concrete: creating meetings between researchers, artists, students, cultural actors and societal questions that often cut across several disciplines.
- Arctic Arts Summit lets us see the Arctic through art, culture, stories, and lived experience. The Arctic is a human landscape where Indigenous communities have thrived for millennia. I hope their stories will resonate with people visitng Ubmeje, says Keith Larson, Director of the Arctic Centre at Umeå University.
For anyone who is curious, there are several open ways into the programme. Here are five examples:
1. The Many Ways We Love
During the week, several tents, Sjadduo, will be set up at Rådhustorget. Around them, the 60-metre-long outdoor installation The Many Ways We Love will be shown.
The work brings together queer, trans, non-binary and Two-Spirit artists from across the Arctic region. It is a large public installation that can be encountered in the middle of the city.
Location: Rådhustorget
Time: 16–17 June, 10:00–15:00
2. RANOR
The artist duo Johdet Pirak presents an outdoor exhibition at Rådhusesplanaden. The work brings together Sámi and Tornedalian cultural heritage with urban subcultures.
Through traditionally woven wool blankets placed in new settings, the exhibition explores nature, storytelling and place. An artist talk will also be held in connection with the opening.
Location: The photo board exhibition at Rådhusesplanaden
Artist talk: Lavvu, Rådhustorget, 16 June, 12:15–13:00
3. A River Runs Beneath
A River Runs Beneath is an international AR project, Augmented Reality, making its world premiere during Arctic Arts Summit in Umeå.
By scanning QR codes around the city centre, visitors can experience interactive works by Indigenous artists. The works explore shared history, language and land, making the urban environment part of the art experience.
Location: Various locations in Umeå city centre
Time: 13–20 June
4. Exhibitions at UmArts and Galleri Verkligheten
At UmArts Studio on the Arts Campus, Tonia Carless presents house_Flow Counter Move. At Galleri Verkligheten on Pilgatan, Future Cartographies by Elena Mazzi and Rúrí is shown.
The exhibitions are open 11–18 June, 14:00–18:00. They offer two different ways to explore how art can investigate place, movement, landscape and the future.
5. Real Arctic Tourist Shop
Real Arctic Tourist Shop is shown at Tráhppie Sámi Cultural Centre and in Kommunhörnan at Väven. The project opens in Kommunhörnan on 13 June and will then be available for several days, with varying opening hours.
The title almost sounds like an ordinary tourist shop, but the project is an artistic entry point into questions about how the Arctic is displayed, sold, imagined and understood. This makes it an accessible starting point for anyone who is curious but does not know where to begin.
The five examples are only some of the open entry points. During the Arctic Arts Summit days, much more will be happening in Umeå: exhibitions, performances, art projects, film screenings, evening programmes and other cultural events. There is also an off summit programme where artists, cultural actors and other organisers connect their own activities to the international meeting place.
This means that you do not need to decide everything in advance. Start with a place, a film, an artwork or a conversation. Walk past Rådhustorget, Väven, the Arts Campus, Tráhppie, Galleri Verkligheten or one of the other places in the programme. See what is happening.
Together, the open parts of the programme show how Arctic questions can be explored through art, design, film, public spaces and meetings between people. For researchers, students and staff at Umeå University, the days are also an opportunity to discover the breadth of the university’s Arctic environments.
For times, locations and information about the full programme, including off summit activities, visit the Arctic Arts Summit website.