Organizer Information
This open call is initiated by the Goethe-Institut through its project platform House of African Feminisms. The Goethe-Institut is the official cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany, operating globally to promote international cultural exchange, foster artistic collaboration, and support critical dialogue across disciplines. Through its programs, it engages with contemporary socio-political themes and supports artists worldwide.
The House of African Feminisms (HoAF) is a dynamic digital platform dedicated to amplifying African feminist thought, artistic practices, and intellectual discourse. It functions as a resource hub, network, and exhibition space for artists, scholars, and activists working within African feminist frameworks. The broader project, “African Feminisms – Rights, Representation, Resources,” is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office and aims to explore feminist perspectives through artistic production, research, and public engagement.
Title & Description
Rethinking Resources: Access, Extraction, and Feminist Perspectives
It is an international open call inviting African artists and creatives to submit proposals for digital artworks that critically engage with the concept of “resources” through African feminist lenses.
The call challenges conventional understandings of resources as purely material (such as land, money, or infrastructure) and instead expands the definition to include knowledge systems, care networks, cultural memory, bodily autonomy, spirituality, and collective survival strategies. It addresses the unequal distribution and control of resources shaped by colonial histories, extractive economies, patriarchal systems, and global inequalities.
Artists are encouraged to interrogate key questions such as:
- Who defines and controls resources?
- How are bodies, labor, and knowledge exploited or reclaimed?
- What alternative systems of care, sharing, and sustainability exist?
- How can feminist futures be imagined through equity and collective wellbeing?
Selected projects will be presented digitally on the HoAF platform, with the possibility of physical presentation during the African Feminisms Gathering in 2026 (potentially in Kigali or Germany).
Categories
- Visual Art
- Digital Art / New Media
- Photography
- Film / Video Art
- Sound Art / Podcast
- Writing / Text-based Work
- Interdisciplinary & Cross-media Practices
Eligibility
- Open to African artists, collectives, and creative practitioners
- Applicants must be based on the African continent or part of the African diaspora
- Must demonstrate a track record of previous artistic work (portfolio required)
- Open to emerging and established practitioners
- Submissions may be individual or collaborative
Program Benefits & Awards
- Project funding of up to €2,000 per selected proposal
- Opportunity for international visibility via the HoAF digital platform
- Potential inclusion in African Feminisms Gathering 2026 (physical presentation)
- Integration into a global feminist discourse network
- Institutional backing from the Goethe-Institut
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Project proposal (max. 2 pages OR a video teaser up to 2 minutes)
- Clear explanation of how the project engages with African feminist perspectives on resources
- Artist biography or CV + artist statement
- Budget plan (maximum €2,000, including all costs)
- Three relevant portfolio links
Languages accepted: English, French, or Portuguese
File naming format: Surname_Firstname_ProjectTitle.pdf
How to Apply?
Submit your complete application via email to: hoaf@goethe.de
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 30 April 2026
- Notification of shortlisted candidates: Early June 2026
- Final project submission deadline: September 2026
- Potential exhibition/event: 2026 (African Feminisms Gathering)
Location
Germany
Additional Details
- Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
- Projects must be feasible within the proposed budget
- Selected artists are required to submit:
- Final project
- Narrative report
- Financial report
- PR materials for communication
- The selection process prioritizes:
- Conceptual clarity and artistic quality
- Relevance to African feminist discourse
- Originality and innovation
- Feasibility
This call strongly encourages projects that:
- Challenge dominant economic and cultural narratives
- Explore environmental justice and ecological relationships
- Reimagine knowledge systems and collective memory
- Address digital inequalities and access