The Artists' Association of Finland supports and advices visual artists in professional matters concerning working as an artist. The services on this page are issued to all visual artists who have membership in one of our member organisations.
Legal guidance is free to visual artist members of the member associations of the Artists’ Association of Finland (Finnish Painters’ Union, Association of Finnish Sculptors, Association of Photographic Artists, Association of Finnish Printmakers, Artists’ Association MUU) as wells as community members of the Union of Finnish Art Associations and the Association of Photographic Artists.
In which matters is legal guidance given?
The lawyer of the Artists’ Association of Finland provides legal advice and information to members of member associations on matters related to the legal aspects of working as an artist. The lawyer assists in matters related to commissions and exhibition contracts as well as copyright, taxation and social security issues.
Guidance and advice on matters related to association legislation is available to the community members of member associations.
As a general rule, legal services are not intended for the purposes of addressing disputes between members or member associations, or to represent individual artists in court. The service also does not apply to legal matters that fall within the scope of private life, such as wills or inheritance matters.
Instructions for contacting
If you can't find the answer to your question on the Making a living as a visual artist website, you can contact our lawyer either by phone during phone call hours or by email. In your message, please mention which member association you belong to and attach the documents and other attachments related to your case. We aim to respond within two weeks.
Community members of the Union of Finnish Art Associations: For advice, please contact first the organisation coordinator of the Union of Finnish Art Associations: koordinaattori@skjl.fi. More information about the counseling service: Member services (SKjL.fi; in Finnish).
Holders of the international IAA/UNESCO card are entitled to free or discounted admission to museums all over the world.
In Finland, the International Identity Card for Professional Artists is granted by the Artists’ Association of Finland. The members of the following member associations of the Finnish Artists' Association are entitled to the card: Artists' Association Muu, The Association of Finnish Sculptors, The Association of Finnish Print Makers, Finnish Painters' Union or The Association of Photographic Artists.
There is both an electronic and a paper version of the card.
Electronic IAA card (in Gruppo ID application)
1. Download the application Gruppo ID from the App Store or Google Play on your phone or tablet.
2. Click the REGISTER button on the home page of the Gruppo ID application.
3. A link to the registration page will be sent to your email address.
4. Click the registration link in the email and complete the registration.
5. Open the Gruppo ID application, click the LOGIN button and enter the password you created.
6. The application shows your association's electronic membership card and simultaneously an international IAA card opens in the application. Upload a profile picture to the IAA card and the card is ready to use. For the card to be valid, a profile picture must be uploaded to the card.
Paper IAA Card (Pickup or Mail Delivery)
You can pick up the card from the office of the Finnish Artists' Association. We recommend scheduling a visit to the office in advance. Please bring your membership card and a passport photo with you.
You can also order an IAA card by mail by sending a passport photo, a copy of a valid association’s membership card and your postal address to aaf@artists.fi. We will deliver the card by post to the address you provided.
The Artists’ Association of Finland offers guidance to artists planning to organise an exhibition or export artworks abroad. Artist members of the following associations can obtain an ATA Carnet customs document through the Artists’ Association of Finland: Finnish Painters’ Union, Association of Finnish Sculptors, Association of Photographic Artists, Association of Finnish Printmakers and Artists’ Association MUU. This document is required when exporting artworks outside the EU.
To apply for an ATA Carnet document, contact your local chamber of commerce and present the authorisation document provided by the Artists’ Association of Finland at least three weeks before the shipment date.
The Artists’ Association of Finland has published a guide Artist wellbeing. This guide provides advice for visual artists on how to find information on issues related to comprehensive wellbeing at work.
Rehabilitation services
The Artists’ Association of Finland offers professional visual artist members of its member associations the opportunity to seek rehabilitation services to support their ability to work. In 2022, visual artists will be able to participate in the KIILA rehabilitation course organised by Kruunupuisto Oy in Punkaharju. The course is free for attendees.
The 18-month course provides attendees with versatile support for work, health and lifestyle improvements. The objective of the rehabilitation course is to improve and support attendees’ ability to work and help them continue to work to the degree that their needs allow. The KIILA rehabilitation course consists of group periods and individual coaching, which are tailored to the attendees’ work and life situations.
You can apply to the KIILA rehabilitation course if you are a professional visual artist, a member of a member association of the Artists’ Association of Finland and:
- the symptoms of your condition make working and everyday tasks difficult for you
- your need for rehabilitation has been duly recognised by an occupational health care provider
- you want support to help you keep working
- you have an illness or injury that has significantly reduced or may significantly reduce your ability to work and earn a living in the next few years
Kela pays a rehabilitation allowance during the rehabilitation period and also covers some of the travel expenses incurred as part of the rehabilitation course.
KIILA - Vocationally oriented rehabilitation course on Kela's website
The Artists’ Association of Finland doesn’t have personal members. However, artists automatically become members when they belong to one of the following six organisations: Artists' Association MUU, The Association of Finnish Sculptors, The Union of Finnish Art Associations, The Association of Finnish Printmakers, Finnish Painters' Union and The Association of Photographic Artists. More information about membership applications can be found directly from each association.
The services of Artists’ Association of Finland are automatically available to all members of the above mentioned associations.