Organizer Information
The Reutlingen Art Association (Kunstverein Reutlingen), led by artistic director Dr. Julia Berghoff, is a distinguished institution for contemporary visual arts located in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Based in the striking architectural setting of the historic Wandel-Hallen, the association serves as an active incubator for innovative spatial concepts, critical thinking, and site-responsive installations. By providing a massive institutional platform for independent creators, the Kunstverein fosters deep public dialogue with contemporary visual practices and expands local engagement with cutting-edge national movements.
Title & Description
800 m2 – OPEN SPACE Exhibition Project (2027 Framework).
The Reutlingen Art Association has officially launched a high-profile national open call challenging individual artists or collaborative artist groups to conceptualize an ambitious, cohesive exhibition. Selected proposals take over the entire first-floor gallery footprint—a monumental 800 square meters of open space. Rather than a standard retrospective, this initiative invites site-specific engagement where the unique scale of the Wandel-Hallen becomes an active collaborator. The expert selection jury explicitly prioritizes bold architectural interventions, spatial boundary-pushing, and concepts that can comprehensively activate the entire institutional area.
Categories
- Visual Arts, Painting / Drawing, Sculpture / Installations,
- Photography,
- Performing Arts
- New Media.
Eligibility & Compliance Metrics
All applicants must systematically satisfy three mandatory baseline conditions to pass initial administrative screening:
- Geographic Boundary: All participating artists, including every individual member of a collective group, must currently maintain a primary residence and/or an active production studio within Germany.
- Professional Credentials: Applicants must provide documented proof of formal artistic training (fine arts degree), demonstrate an extensive and publicly recognized history of exhibition activity, or be currently enrolled as a student at a state art academy or recognized independent art college in the field of fine arts.
- Digital Verification: Full registration and folder submission executed timely through the official electronic intake network.
Program Benefits and Financial Support
The selected artist or collective group receives a comprehensive institutional toolkit to materialize their vision:
- Monumental Institutional Exhibition: A prominent solo or group showcase spanning the entire 800 m2 floor plate of the Wandel-Hallen running from March 14 through July 18, 2027.
- Unrestricted Financial Allocation: A total project budget of €5,000, which the laureate is free to distribute autonomously to cover material production costs (for newly fabricated pieces), incoming/outgoing fine art transport, and professional artist fees.
- Administrative & Setup Scaffolding: A dedicated team of volunteers from the Art Association will directly assist the artist with the physical setup and subsequent dismantling of the exhibition. The Kunstverein will completely absorb and cover all overhead costs tracking advertising, regional public relations (PR), exhibition catering (for the opening and closing galas), gallery supervision, and professional photographic exhibition documentation.
- Capital Amplification: Following the definitive selection of the winning concept, the Kunstverein management team plans to actively seek additional third-party institutional funding to further expand the project's scale.
Fees
- Application Fee: None (Completely free to register online).
Application Requirements (Two-Step Submission Pipeline)
Dossiers must be compiled and uploaded via the secure online application portal. All narrative texts, design sheets, sketches, and financial layout plans must be consolidated into a single PDF document. The proposal criteria incorporates:
- Step 1: Portal Registry Metrics: Log basic contact data, upload a professional artistic CV/resume detailing career landmarks, and provide exactly three (3) comparative images mapping out previously produced physical artworks to establish your material trajectory.
- Step 2: The Core Concept Dossier (Maximum PDF File Size 2 MB): A cohesive visual and narrative proposal explicitly created for the full space of the Kunstverein, incorporating:
- Project Description: A detailed conceptual text defining your overarching vision, tracking exact measurements, spatial orientations, and physical dimensions. Existing works as well as planned new productions are equally eligible to be shown.
- Visual Schematics: Informative sketches, mockups, images, or model layouts relating your proposal directly to the official gallery floor plan and room photos (available for download on the landing page).
- Detailed Financing Plan: A line-by-item structural budget allocating the €5,000 framework across production overheads, art shipping transit, and artist fees.
How to Apply?
Access the dedicated Kunstverein application portal link, input your personal background info, upload your three historic work samples, attach your consolidated 2 MB Concept PDF, and submit your application. Apply to the Kunstverein Reutlingen Open Call 2026.
Key Dates
- Application Portal Window: April 1 – Monday, June 15, 2026, at 00:00 (Midnight CEST).
- Jury Selection Notifications: No earlier than the end of June 2026
- Delivery Date Coordination Deadline: January 10, 2027 (The physical delivery date must be locked with management by this checkpoint).
- Exhibition Period: March 14 – July 18, 2027
- Dismantling & Collection Window: July 19 – July 31, 2027.
Location
Germany, Reutlingen (Kunstverein Reutlingen, Wandel-Hallen)
Additional Details
The final selection will be executed by an expert, three-member panel consisting of the director of the Kunstverein Reutlingen and two external independent jurors. To guarantee absolute creative autonomy, the jury's internal deliberations remain strictly private, all final decisions are legally binding, and recourse to legal action or formal appeal is excluded. The participating artists retain sole logistical and financial responsibility for organizing and insuring the round-trip transit of their artworks to and from the Wandel-Hallen; the €5,000 project budget must account for transport insurance overheads.