Organizer Information
The Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart – Kulturförderung (City of Stuttgart – Cultural Affairs) supports artistic and cultural projects across disciplines, with a particular focus on contemporary art in public space, cultural participation, and urban development. The Hajek100 open call is organized by the Department of Art in Public Space (KiöR) in collaboration with the Otto Herbert Hajek Art Foundation of Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg and the municipal O. H. Hajek Art Foundation. The call commemorates Stuttgart artist Otto Herbert Hajek, whose work significantly shaped the city's public spaces.
Title & Description
Hajek100 – Kunst, die Stadt gestaltet
Hajek100 – Kunst, die Stadt gestaltet is a thematic open call seeking contemporary artistic concepts for public spaces in Stuttgart. Created to mark the 100th birthday of artist Otto Herbert Hajek in 2027, the program does not seek conventional commemorative works. Instead, it invites artists to reinterpret Hajek's understanding of art as a democratic, socially engaged and city-shaping practice.
Proposals should explore how art can influence the way people perceive, navigate, use, and interact with urban spaces. Possible approaches include sculptures, spatial installations, digital works, interventions, walkable artistic environments, colour and spatial concepts, artistic wayfinding systems, and participatory projects. Projects may address themes such as orientation, accessibility, public participation, social interaction, climate and heat, or changing urban environments. Selected works will be temporarily presented throughout Stuttgart as part of a city-wide exhibition.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Public Art
- Sculpture
- Installation Art
- Digital Art
- Intervention
- Participatory Art
- Performance
- Interdisciplinary Art
- Urban Art
- Site-Specific Art
- Public Space Art
Eligibility
The call is open to professionally working visual artists and interdisciplinary artistic teams with a demonstrable connection to Baden-Württemberg, particularly the Stuttgart region. A qualifying connection may include a current residence or workplace in Baden-Württemberg, significant biographical or artistic activity in the region, study at an art academy in Baden-Württemberg, or an established artistic practice connected to Stuttgart's urban space.
Applicants must demonstrate professional artistic activity through exhibitions, completed public-space projects, or comparable evidence. Individual artists and collectives may apply. For teams, at least one member must meet the regional eligibility requirements. This is therefore a regional/national call rather than an international open call.
Program Benefits & Awards
Selected projects receive project funding covering eligible costs for concept development, production, and presentation. Smaller-scale projects are explicitly welcome.
Selected works will be presented in a public, city-wide exhibition from 27 June to 12 September 2027. In addition, a €4,000 Jury Prize and a €1,000 Audience Prize will be awarded. The audience vote runs from 27 June to 6 September 2027.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Open Call Published: 15 July 2026
- Application Deadline: 15 October 2026
- First Jury Meeting: December 2026
- Funding Decision: 15 January 2027
- Exhibition Opening: 27 June 2027
- Audience Voting Ends: 6 September 2027
- Prize Ceremony: 12 September 2027
Location
Stuttgart, Germany
Additional Details
Applicants may freely choose a proposed location, but public-space projects require registration and/or approval from Stuttgart's public-order authorities. Funding approval does not automatically constitute permission to use the selected site. Artists should therefore check the feasibility of their proposed location before applying. Projects are expected to be accessible, participatory where appropriate, and responsive to Stuttgart's urban and social context.