Organizer Information
The Kunsthalle Görlitz is an exhibition space for contemporary art in the Germany–Poland–Czech Republic border region, with roughly 360 m² of exhibition space hosting rotating exhibitions, performances, and talks that connect current social issues with artistic perspectives. It is supported by two nonprofit, volunteer-run associations: STRE!FEN e.V., known for its performance art programming, and the Neisse Centre for Contemporary Arts e.V. (NCCA), a Görlitz-based organization that has run cross-border contemporary art projects in the region, including the long-running Zukunftsvisionen festival. Together, the two associations aim to raise the profile of contemporary art across borders and to connect artists from the region with the international scene.
Title & Description
Granit & Gravitation Group Exhibition at the Kunsthalle Görlitz
This open call invites artistic projects for a group exhibition exploring connections between the deep bedrock beneath the Germany–Czech Republic–Poland border triangle and the universe — between below and above. The exhibition takes as its starting point the structural transformation underway in Lusatia following the phase-out of lignite mining, including the establishment of the German Center for Astrophysics (DZA) and its planned Low Seismic Lab, to be built roughly 200 meters deep within the Lusatian granite massif to support high-precision measurement of gravitational waves. Rather than focusing solely on astrophysical phenomena, the exhibition also invites artistic engagement with the relationship between landscape and the universe, geological depth and cosmic distance, materiality and data, and technical measurement and human perception, as well as ideas about the origin of the world, time, visibility, and scientific and social transformation. The group exhibition will bring together distinct artistic positions to open up diverse perspectives on this theme.
Theme
The relationship between the deep bedrock of the Lusatian granite massif and the cosmos — between geological depth and cosmic distance, materiality and data, and technical measurement and human perception — set against the backdrop of new astrophysical research infrastructure being developed in the region.
Categories
- Installation
- Sculpture
- Photography
- Drawing
- Video/Film
- Sound/Music
- Performance
- Painting
- Mixed Media
- Multimedia
- Interdisciplinary Arts
Eligibility
- Open to professional artists working in all disciplines of contemporary art
- Applicants must live or work primarily in Germany, Poland, or the Czech Republic
- Individual artists and collectives are equally welcome
Program Benefits & Awards
- €800 artist's fee
- A travel allowance of up to €80
- A flat-rate accommodation allowance of up to €200
- Transportation costs for artworks, subject to prior agreement
- Optional connection with DZA researchers, with possible access to insights into research processes, discussions with scientists, and selected materials/datasets (e.g. seismic measurements, sound recordings, or visualizations)
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- A single PDF file (max. 10 MB) containing:
- Informative visualizations of the proposed work or concept
- A brief project description and artistic context
- Technical specifications (dimensions, weight, power requirements, special requirements)
- A brief résumé
How to Apply?
Email application to: opencall@ncca.eu, with the subject line "Granit & Gravitation"
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 20 August 2026
- Notification of Selection: End of August 2026
- Exhibition Opening: 17 September 2027
- Exhibition Dates: 18 September – 31 October 2027
Location
Kunsthalle Görlitz, Görlitz, Germany
Additional Details
- The benefits listed (artist's fee, travel and accommodation allowances) are contingent on approval of a project grant that is currently pending, as the Kunsthalle is a volunteer-run association
- Selection of contributions and curatorial organization will be carried out by the Kunsthalle Görlitz team
- Artists grant the Kunsthalle Görlitz a non-exclusive right to use submitted image and text materials, and documentation of exhibited works, for press and public relations activities related to the project; copyrights remain otherwise unaffected
- Transport, delivery, and pickup of works will be coordinated between artists and the Kunsthalle
- The Kunsthalle Görlitz does not operate as a sales gallery, though it can facilitate contact between prospective buyers and artists if there is interest in purchasing a work
- Communication during the application and selection process will take place in English or German
- Other planned project partners include STRE!FEN e.V. (performance art), Rashomon e.V. (Summer Film Academy), the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Görlitz, Fundacja tohuandbohu (Poland), and the SUS Liberec School of Art (Czech Republic)