Organizer Information
Frappant e.V. is an artists' association founded in 2009, growing out of a community of artists, designers and cultural practitioners active in Hamburg-Altona since 2005 (initially in the nearby Forum Altona). In 2010 the association moved into its current home in the Viktoria Kaserne, a former barracks in Altona, where it has run the Frappant Gallery and an additional project space ever since. Frappant e.V. is an active member of ART OFF Hamburg, a network of the city's independent art venues, and its exhibition programme is funded by the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media. Over more than a decade of operation, Frappant has established itself as one of Hamburg's recognized non-commercial art spaces, hosting a changing programme of exhibitions, concerts, readings and discussions.
Title & Description
Frappant Gallery Open Call 2027
Frappant e.V. is calling on artists, curators, designers, architects and activists to apply with an exhibition concept for the Frappant Gallery's 2027 programme. The Frappant Gallery is a non-commercial exhibition venue located within a larger, cooperatively managed center for alternative culture, education, creative industries and social affairs in Hamburg-Altona. Applicants submit a written exhibition concept, which the Frappant exhibition team then reviews and selects for inclusion in the coming year's programme; the gallery's exhibition team and other volunteer members of the association curate the overall programme, advise exhibiting artists, and provide public relations and technical support, while exhibiting artists remain primarily responsible for realizing and staffing their exhibition.
Categories
- Curatorial
- Visual Arts
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Multiple Disciplines
- Digital
- Performance
- Cross Disciplines
Eligibility
- Open to professional artists, curators, designers, architects, and activists
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate qualified artistic or curatorial practice
- Preference given to group exhibition concepts in which at least three artistic positions interact; solo exhibitions are excluded from this call
- Preference given to concepts by independent/freelance curators
- Preference given to cross-genre, cross-spatial (analogue and digital) approaches and projects
- Preference given to supra-regional collaborations involving Hamburg-based artists
- Preference given to exchange with independent art venues and project spaces outside Hamburg
- Preference given to interdisciplinary concepts spanning visual arts, performing arts, music, text/literature, urbanism, and socio-culture
- Preference given to projects that observe, critique, question, queer, redesign, or deconstruct dominant narratives, take feminist positions, or include perspectives alternative to a Western heteronormative viewpoint
- Additional "extras" during the exhibition (performances, readings, workshops, screenings, etc.) are welcomed
Program Benefits & Awards
- Use of the Frappant Gallery's three exhibition rooms (approx. 140 m² total, approx. 4 m ceiling height)
- Optional parallel use of "Der Vierte Raum" (The Fourth Room), a fourth, digital exhibition space
- Curatorial support and programme advice from the Frappant exhibition team and association members
- Support with public relations and networking
- Technical support for the exhibition
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Applications can be submitted at bewerbung@frappant.org.
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 17 August 2026
- Exhibition team decision: early September 2026
- All applicants notified by email: December 2026
Location
Frappant Gallery, Hamburg-Altona, Germany
Additional Details
- Applications that don't meet the stated requirements or arrive after the deadline will not be considered
- A binding exhibition commitment can only be issued once Frappant e.V. receives its 2027 funding approval from the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media; this is expected in December 2026, which is also when all applicants will be notified
- Exhibiting artists are responsible for supervising/staffing the space during their exhibition
- Examples of past exhibitions can be viewed on Instagram @frappantgalerie