Organizer Information: AIR InSILo is an artist-in-residence program that defines itself as a solidarity project. For the 2026 round, the organization is introducing a significant innovation in their selection process: a two-stage application designed to test the possibilities of anonymity as a tool against bias. Inspired by blind auditions in music, AIR InSILo invites applicants to participate in this experiment to rethink how institutions interact with artists.

Title & Description: The 2026 edition, titled "Unfolding the Place. Placing the Folds," is curated by Agata Ciastoń. The residency focuses on working with "place" as a field of relations—encompassing matter, memory, body, landscape, and cosmic time. Crucially, this residency is conceived as a space for developing or refining ideas rather than producing final works. Artists are invited to engage with the environment of Hollabrunn (Austria), using it to test strategies of mapping, recontextualizing, and unfolding relationships between ground, archive, and imagination. The curator will accompany participants throughout the process, fostering deep dialogue and spatial analysis.

Category: Research-based Art / Site-specific / Process-based Practices. (Focus on mapping, archives, walking, and spatial narratives).

Eligibility:

  • Profile: Open to artists whose practice engages with landscape, infrastructure, memory, or history.

  • Academic Status: Proposals from students currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs are not admitted (PhD candidates are eligible).

  • Anonymity: The call explicitly allows and encourages anonymous applications to reduce bias.

Program Benefits & Awards:

  • Curatorial Support: The selected artist will work in close collaboration with curator Agata Ciastoń.

  • Residency: A dedicated period to focus on process and research in Hollabrunn.

  • Innovation: Participation in a unique structural experiment regarding artist selection.

  • LONG-TERM RESIDENCE • 2-month residence (Slots in May - August, October - November 2026) in AIR InSILo; • An honorarium (up to 3400 Euros, to be specified); • A coverage of material costs (up to 600 Euros, to be specified); • A coverage of travel (up to 400 Euros, to be specified); • A coverage of transport costs (up to 280 Euros, to be specified); • Usage of the facilities and equipment provided by the AIR InSILo; • Featuring in the InSILo Magazine; • 5 Mentoring sessions with the curator. • PR support is provided by digital means of AIR InSILo.

Application Fee: Free.

Application Requirements: This is a Two-Stage Process. For Stage 1, the requirements are minimal:

  • An email address (can be anonymized).

  • An anonymized portfolio.

  • A motivation letter (0.5 to 1 page) describing the relationship between your practice and the concept.

  • Applicants are also asked to share thoughts on anonymity in open calls.

How to Apply? Submit the Stage 1 materials via the official link below. Successful applicants will be invited to Stage 2 to submit more detailed materials.

Key Dates:

  • Stage 1 Deadline: 23 February 2026.

  • Stage 2: Selected artists will have three weeks to submit further materials.

Location: Hollabrunn, Austria.

Additional Details: This call is distinct because it prioritizes the inquiry over the object. It is ideal for artists looking to explore the entanglement of human and material histories without the pressure of a final exhibition.

Website: Apply for Stage 1 Here