Cultural Mobility Forum 2026 will take place in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia on 29-30 April 2026 .
Focus 2026: Cultural Mobility Justice
Cultural mobility justice examines and challenges the systemic inequities that determine who can move, create, and participate within the global cultural landscape. It exposes how visa restrictions, economic disparities, and enduring colonial, ableist, and patriarchal power structures disproportionately limit the mobility of artists and culture professionals - particularly those from marginalised communities, burdened by precarious working conditions, family responsibilities, or personal constraints, or from non-Western contexts.
This framework advocates for equitable access to resources, including visas, funding, information, and professional (digital) opportunities, while amplifying the voices of those most affected by mobility injustices. It demands alternative approaches to curation, cultural exchange, and the dismantling of institutional gatekeeping that perpetuates inequality. Ultimately, cultural mobility justice seeks to reimagine and redistribute the power dynamics of global circulation, ensuring that mobility becomes a fundamental right rather than a privilege reserved for a select few.
The international circulation of artists and culture professionals is a critical arena where mobility justice reveals deep-seated inequities. While globalisation promises borderless exchange, the reality remains stratified: who gains access, under what conditions, and who faces exclusion reflects historical colonialism, economic inequality, and institutional control.
The 2026 edition of the Forum will explore these systemic inequities, interrogating how mobility within the cultural sector reinforces disparities and imbalances. Participants will examine how transnational cultural participation is not universally accessible but shaped by visa regimes, economic barriers, geopolitical hierarchies, and other structural constraints. The conversations will highlight alternative models of circulation, from self-organised networks and decolonial practices to policy reforms and solidarity-based economies. By centering artist-led initiatives, fair labour standards, and equitable visa policies, the Forum aims to envision a fairer framework for international cultural exchange. At a time when independent cultural cooperation in Southeast Europe (SEE) faces growing challenges, the Forum will relay the voices of cultural practitioners in the region to address a deteriorating political climate that threatens their mobility and creative freedom.
On the Move is the international information network dedicated to artistic and cultural mobility, gathering 88 members from 32 countries. Since 2002, On the Move provides regular, up-to-date and free information on mobility opportunities, conditions and funding, and advocates for the value of cross-border cultural mobility. Co-funded by the European Union and the French Ministry of Culture, On the Move is implementing an ambitious multi-annual programme to build the capacities of local, regional, national, European and international stakeholders for the sustainable development of our cultural ecosystems.
Each year On the Move proposes a Cultural Mobility Forum to collectively investigate international artistic and cultural mobility trends. As a unique knowledge platform, the network works together with its members and partners to design thematic panel discussions and contextualise global mobility issues.
Price: To be announced