Organizer Information
Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s official cultural institute, dedicated to promoting international cultural exchange, education, and dialogue through arts, language, and collaboration. Operating an extensive global network of institutes, the Goethe-Institut supports contemporary artistic practices, mobility, interdisciplinary research, and cross-cultural partnerships. Through exhibitions, residencies, festivals, publications, and public programs, it connects artists, curators, researchers, and cultural organizations across continents.
UNRULY MIRRORS is an international curatorial initiative led by the Goethe-Institutes in Almaty, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul, Tashkent, Tokyo, and Ulaanbaatar. Bringing together artists from East and Central Asia, the project explores beauty culture through feminist, transcultural, and socially engaged artistic perspectives. The initiative culminates in a traveling exhibition, public programming, and an international publication developed in collaboration with Missy Magazine, before expanding to Germany through a partnership with Grand Beauty, a Leipzig-based initiative promoting diversity and intercultural dialogue.
Title & Description
UNRULY MIRRORS – Between Skin and Stance | International Open Call for Traveling Exhibition 2027
The Goethe-Institut invites artists from seven participating countries to apply for UNRULY MIRRORS – Between Skin and Stance, an international contemporary art project examining beauty salons as spaces where identity, power, gender, and social expectations intersect. Rather than viewing beauty practices as merely aesthetic activities, the project investigates how they reflect cultural norms, economic pressures, feminist resistance, and processes of self-determination.
Artists are invited to submit either existing artworks or new project proposals that critically engage with themes surrounding the body, beauty, identity, representation, and the politics of appearance. Projects may address issues including gender roles, beauty standards, migration, ethnicity, social inclusion, consumer culture, or other questions related to personal and collective identity.
Seven projects—one representing each participating location—will be selected by an international jury. The chosen works will receive production funding and become part of a traveling international exhibition beginning in Spring 2027, accompanied by locally curated public programs including talks, workshops, screenings, readings, performances, and participatory beauty salon interventions.
Throughout the project, artists will collaborate with local curators who will support the realization and presentation of each work while encouraging dialogue between artists, audiences, and cultural institutions. The initiative also includes the publication of an exhibition catalogue produced in collaboration with Missy Magazine, followed by a continuation of the project in Germany in partnership with Grand Beauty, expanding the project's international visibility and cultural impact.
The project welcomes multidisciplinary artistic approaches and encourages collaborative, experimental, and process-based practices capable of engaging diverse audiences across multiple cultural contexts.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Installation
- Performance
- Multimedia
- Photography
- Video Art
- Film
- New Media
- Public Art
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Feminist Art
- Social Practice
- Community Art
- Participatory Art
- Mixed Media
- Sculpture
- Design
- Fashion
- Body Art
- Literature
- Creative Writing
- Research
Eligibility
- Open to artists from the participating countries and regions:
- Kazakhstan
- Uzbekistan
- South Korea
- Japan
- Mongolia
- China
- Hong Kong
- Artists from all disciplines are welcome.
- Individual artists may submit existing artworks or new project proposals.
- Collaborative and collective practices are encouraged.
- Projects should explore themes related to beauty, identity, gender, the body, feminist perspectives, or social norms.
- Applications must be submitted in English.
- Proposed works should be suitable for a travelling exhibition and adaptable to multiple exhibition venues.
- Performance-based projects are eligible if participation across several exhibition locations can be ensured.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Selection of seven projects (one from each participating location).
- Financial support for project production and realisation.
- Inclusion in an international travelling exhibition beginning in Spring 2027.
- Collaboration with local curators throughout project development.
- Participation in public programs including:
- Artist talks
- Workshops
- Performances
- Film screenings
- Public readings
- Pop-up beauty salons
- International exposure through Goethe-Institut's global cultural network.
- Publication in the official exhibition catalogue produced with Missy Magazine.
- Additional presentation opportunities in Germany through collaboration with Grand Beauty.
- Opportunities for international networking and intercultural exchange.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit a single PDF containing:
- Project description or artistic concept (maximum 1–2 pages).
- Preliminary project budget with estimated expenses.
- Portfolio or work samples.
- Short artist biography.
- Contact information.
Applications must be written in English.
How to Apply?
Submit your application by email to: unrulymirrors@goethe.de
Key Dates
- Open Call Opens: 15 May 2026
- Application Deadline: 15 July 2026
- Selection Period: 16 July – 31 August 2026
- Production Phase: 1 September – 31 December 2026
- Traveling Exhibition Launch: Spring 2027
- Public Programs: Throughout 2027
- Germany Presentation: Late 2027
Location
Germany
Additional Details
Projects should be sensitive to local cultural contexts while encouraging transcultural dialogue and diverse feminist perspectives. Organizers particularly welcome proposals that challenge dominant narratives surrounding beauty, identity, gender, and representation.
Works should be technically suitable for transport and repeated installation across multiple exhibition venues. Site-responsive adaptations are encouraged where appropriate.
Beyond the exhibition itself, the project aims to foster sustained international collaboration among artists, curators, institutions, and local communities through public programming, educational activities, and critical discussion.
The project will be promoted internationally through Goethe-Institut communication channels and multiple media platforms, providing selected artists with significant international visibility throughout the exhibition cycle.