Organizer Information
ZAK – Zentrum für Aktuelle Kunst (Centre for Contemporary Art) is a contemporary art exhibition space located within the Spandau Citadel in Berlin, Germany, under the artistic direction of Dr. Ralf F. Hartmann. Housed within the historic citadel complex, ZAK runs a regular program of contemporary exhibitions, including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, video, and multimedia work by both established and emerging artists, alongside guided tours, workshops, and public events tied to the Spandau district's cultural programming. The Anonymous Drawings project itself was conceived and is realized by artist Anke Becker, and has previously been hosted at venues including Galerie im Körnerpark and Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien in Berlin, as well as Kunsthaus Erfurt, before this edition's presentation at ZAK.
Title & Description
Anonymous Drawings 2027
Anonymous Drawings is an international exhibition and conceptual art project that asks how perception of a work changes when nothing is known about its artist, how value is determined when every work carries the same price, and where the boundary between art and non-art lies. The 2027 edition, taking place at ZAK – Zentrum für Aktuelle Kunst in Berlin's Spandau Citadel, will present around 600 drawings by 600 international artists, displayed without revealing either the artist's name or the work's title. Every drawing is offered at a fixed symbolic price of €250, functioning not as a market valuation but as a conceptual placeholder for any price imaginable in the art market — an attempt to symbolize art existing beyond economic hierarchies. Anonymity is preserved until a work sells; once sold, the drawing is removed from the wall and the empty space is marked with the artist's name and place of origin. The project is described as both a conceptual artwork in itself and an exhibition platform: a collective work without hierarchies that continually reexamines the relationship between art, the market, and the public.
Theme
No specific thematic requirement stated in the source. Submissions are unrestricted in subject matter; the only constraint is formal (maximum A3 size). The conceptual framework of the project centers on anonymity, uniform pricing, and questioning the boundary between art and non-art.
Categories
- Drawing
- Paper-based
- Visual Arts
- Conceptual Art (not in taxonomy — closest fit: Interdisciplinary Arts)
- Exhibition
Eligibility
- Open to everyone internationally; no nationality, age, or career-stage restriction stated
- No biographical information is requested or considered in selection
- Only one drawing may be submitted per artist; multiple submissions will not be considered
- The submitted drawing must be an original hand-drawn work on paper — no prints, digital drawings, or drawings on tracing paper or thick cardboard
- The drawing must not be signed on the front
- Maximum original drawing size: A3 (29.7 × 42 cm); smaller formats are welcome
Program Benefits & Awards
- If sold, the artist receives €200 of the €250 fixed sale price (paid upon receipt of an invoice)
- Inclusion in an international group exhibition at ZAK – Zentrum für Aktuelle Kunst, Berlin
- Online sale exposure via www.anonyme-zeichner.de following the opening weekend
- Buyer's contact details are shared with the artist (and vice versa) upon sale
- Option to donate the drawing to the Anonymous Drawings Archive, a growing collection (currently more than 1,900 drawings) that may be included in future traveling exhibitions
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Online Submission Deadline: 27 September 2026
- Selection Results Notification: Around 18 October 2026, by e-mail
- Deadline for Selected Original Drawings to Arrive in Berlin: 16 November 2026
- Opening: 29 January 2027
- Exhibition Dates: 30 January – 25 April 2027
Location
Berlin, Germany
Additional Details
- Selection is made solely from anonymized digital images; the anonymization is applied automatically, and artists' names, e-mail addresses, and image-related information remain inaccessible to the organizers until after selection is complete
- Only selected artists are asked to send their original drawings to Berlin
- Shipping instructions for selected artists will be sent together with the selection notification e-mail
- Unsold works are returned to artists after the exhibition; German-based artists must include a stamped return envelope, while artists outside Germany are asked to pay €15 for return postage and packaging, or may instead donate the work to the Anonymous Drawings Archive
- 100% of proceeds from Archive sales go toward financing future exhibitions and open calls
- By participating, artists agree that the anonymized image of their work may be used for publicity and promotional purposes related to the project (press, postcards, website, social media); personal data is kept confidential and not shared with third parties