Organizer Information
Association Esthétique de l'Est (EDE) is a non-profit association created in January 2022 in Bordeaux and now based in Paris, dedicated to promoting dialogue between Eastern and Western art through exhibitions, concerts, workshops, and cultural projects. The association is the organizer behind QIANKUN (乾坤), an international contemporary art platform it created in 2022 that explores the connections between Eastern philosophy, contemporary artistic creation, and major social, cultural, and human questions of our time. The name "QIANKUN" is drawn from the I Ching (易经), the Book of Changes, a foundational text of classical Chinese thought, in which Qian and Kun represent a dynamic relationship between Yin and Yang rather than two fixed, opposing categories. Since its founding, each QIANKUN edition has developed its own theme rooted in this philosophical framework, exploring the relationships between human beings, nature, the body, society, and the living, and the platform has brought together international artists across disciplines for previous editions.
Title & Description
QIANKUN 2027 — "Genre: Yin, Yang and the Diversities of Life"
QIANKUN 2027 is an international open call for artistic projects, inviting artists and creators from around the world, across disciplines and cultural backgrounds, to participate in an exhibition exploring gender, identity, body, power, culture, and the diversity of living beings. Drawing on the concept of Yin and Yang from the I Ching, this edition proposes to move beyond a fixed opposition between "masculine" and "feminine," instead using the principles of interdependence, transformation, and dynamic coexistence to examine evolving relationships between individuals, between people and society, and between bodies, identities, and the world. The call invites proposals responding to the evolution of feminism and social roles, gender identity and expression, LGBTQIA+ experiences, the reconstruction of masculine identities, and questions of migration, belonging, and cultural heritage, among other lines of inquiry, without requiring artists to provide a definitive answer to the theme. The exhibition plans to bring together several dozen international artists whose works will be shown together in the same exhibition space to create dialogue and exchange.
Theme
"Genre: Yin, Yang and the Diversities of Life" — an exploration, through the lens of Yin-Yang philosophy from the I Ching, of contemporary questions of gender, identity, and power relations, including feminism, gender identity and expression, LGBTQIA+ experience, masculinity, and migration/belonging.
Categories
- Painting
- Photography
- Video/Film
- Installation
- Digital
- Performance
- Sound/Music
- Sculpture
- Drawing
- Comic/Cartoon
- Mixed Media
- AI
- Dance
- Craft
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Multiple Disciplines
Eligibility
- Open to the international public; no restrictions on nationality, place of residence, artistic training, or level of experience
- Applicants must be 18 years of age or older (artists under 18 are directed to a separate QIANKUN YOUNG program, not covered by this call)
- Open to professional artists, young artists and independent creators, art school students and recent graduates, interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners, designers, photographers, video creators, movement/dance/sound/performance artists, and cultural actors working on gender, identity, body, and society
- Open to individual artists and artistic collectives
- Each candidate may submit up to three works
Program Benefits & Awards
- Presentation of selected work(s) in a public cultural space in central Paris
- Photographic and visual documentation materials related to the exhibition presentation
- Invitation to the QIANKUN 2027 opening event
- A certificate of participation and a commemorative item for each participating artist
- Possibility of offering selected works for commercial sale during the exhibition period
- Media communication in France and abroad, potentially including artistic presentation publications, media content, and interviews or portraits
- Participation in artist meetings, public guided tours, and cultural exchanges/discussions during the exhibition
- Opportunities to create international links with artists, curators, cultural institutions, and other international actors
- Possible future opportunities, including derivative artistic projects, brand or cultural-partner collaborations, and interdisciplinary projects (source notes these depend on circumstances and are not guaranteed)
Application Fee
None during the first selection phase — the source states no application fee will be charged at this stage. After selection, costs specific to each artist's work (international transport, insurance, customs procedures, supervision, special technical equipment, complex installations) may be covered case-by-case, with exact terms communicated to each selected artist before any payment is required. The source notes that costs for services already incurred are not refundable if an artist voluntarily withdraws or is unable to transport a selected work.
How to Apply?
Applicants must email their application form and required documents to info@asso-ede.com, with the subject line formatted as: 【QIANKUN 2027 Call for Works + Artist Name】
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 31 December 2026
- Exhibition Dates: 15–27 February 2027 (source also references the exhibition taking place "in February 2027" generally)
Location
Centre Paris Anim' Jacques Bravo, France
Additional Details
- Selection criteria include: relevance of the work to the exhibition theme, coherence and autonomy of the artistic approach, depth of artistic concept and research, originality, intercultural interest and potential for public discussion, technical feasibility within the exhibition space's constraints, and overall balance across mediums and cultural backgrounds
- The organizing committee may contact applicants by email for additional information on content, technical needs, transport conditions, or on-site installation
- Selected artists must indicate their desired sale price if offering work for sale; sale conditions, commissions, payment terms, and delivery will be set out in a participation agreement established after selection
- For non-traditional mediums (performance, video, sound art, digital art), adapted formats such as limited editions, certificates of authenticity, or digital collection files may be offered
- The organizer reserves the right to use selected works, texts, images, and information provided by artists for the exhibition's scientific/artistic documentation, related publications, archives, and non-commercial communication, with precise terms of use defined in the participation agreement
- Submitted content must respect applicable regulations, public order, and human dignity, and must not infringe third-party rights (copyright, image rights, name rights, trademarks, or other protected rights)