These 15 (inter)national artists develop their talent in Amsterdam
Fifteen artists are starting the thirteenth edition of 3Package Deal, the talent development programme of the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK) and Bureau Broedplaatsen of the Municipality of Amsterdam.
An individual development budget of €25,000, access to the networks of renowned Amsterdam-based organisations such as FOAM, Frascati Theater or the Muziekgebouw, and mediation in finding affordable living and working spaces: this is what the 3Package Deal offers each year to fifteen international top talents from all artistic disciplines.
International talent
Fifteen coalitions, consisting of leading Amsterdam institutions, select one participant per discipline. The coalitions choose artists based on surprising, compelling work as well as innovative research and production processes. They then provide guidance to the artists for an entire year and open up their networks, expertise and stages to them. Thanks to the 3Package Deal, the participants can fully focus in 2026 on the next step in their practice: creating new work or conducting research. The artists come from countries such as Iran, Colombia, China, South Africa and the Netherlands. In November, the participants will present their work during the International Art Talent Festival, the programme’s final event.
What stands out about the 2026 cohort is the personal nature of the work and the artists’ multidisciplinary perspectives. For example, Martijn van Arkel (cabaret) explores family and identity through his texts and performances, such as the production Onze Vader (Our Father), which he created together with his brother about their father, a minister. Femi van Elshuis (theatre) almost always starts from her own experiences and translates them into theatre and spoken word, with works such as Ik wil wit zijn (I Want to Be White) and her spoken-word collection Femi. Noukhey Forster (fashion) combines fashion, heritage and research, capturing personal and societal stories in couture, photography and installation.
Who takes part in 3Package Deal in 2026?
Film: Mei Liu
Fashion: Noukhey Forster
Self-taught: Priscilla Pancras
Dance: Elisa Zuppini
Theater: Femi van Elshuis
Visual Art I: Sterre Pomper
Visual Art II: Reyhan Lál
Engaged Art: Tumelo Mtimkhulu
Bio Art & Design: Luca Conte
Interhistoricity: Munganyende Hélène Christelle
Social Design: Savva Dudin
Urban Realm: Juan Felipe Amaya González
Publishing / Performance: Noor de Vries
Cabaret: Martijn van ArkelMusic: Dimitra Sofroniou