With the River Collective, initiated by artist Eija Mäkivuoti, has eight artist members from Nordic countries: Alexandra Stroganova, Dan Helgi í Gong, Eija Mäkivuoti, Jessica Franzén, Jouko Alapartanen, Jón Sonni Jensen, Mari Keski-Korsu and Matilda Löytty. It is a multidisciplinary and multidimensional endeavour to comprehend our general connection with fluid bodies, watery borders and border-crossings through artistic processes. The collective’s artists work in a variety of disciplines: painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography, video, audio, text-based as well as eco-socially engaged art, ritualistic practices and artistic research.

The collective have been working for the past four years, starting from Autumn 2023 and finishing in September 2026. The process mainly consists of four two week ‘phases’ of field work:
– Phase I: On-site work in Norbotten (From Haparnada/Tornio to Abisko) in October 2023
– Phase II: On-site work in the Faroe Islands in July 2025
– Phase III: On-site work in the Helsinki region in Finland in May 2026

The last Phase IV is a four month of local work and development from May to September 2026, culminating in an exhibition and publication launch at KUBU in Björkboda, Finland in September 2026.

The main funders of the With the River Collective are Tjaldur – The Finnish-Faroese Friendship Association, Nordic Culture Fund and the Kone Foundation.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withtherivercollective
Website: https://withtherivercollective.com