Open Call “Space is the case”

From April 29 to June 04, the GEH8 Art and Cultural Center is organizing an exhibition project entitled “Space is the case” in line with its annual theme. For the group exhibition we are looking for artistic positions that deal with the theme of space in the broadest sense.

We are looking for artistic positions whose work is concerned with creating new spatial narratives, opening up spaces and connecting separate ones, building imaginary spaces into real ones and real ones into imaginary ones, thus creating links between reality and possibility.

In short, we are interested in artistic works and projects that negotiate given space in an exploratory and experimental manner, provide or transform space or have a positive transformative effect on the urban context, and last but not least, activities and projects that speculatively project fictional spaces and new narratives.

Participation is especially encouraged for artists who work with other disciplines in a research or practically intervening and cross-genre way.

 

Click here for Participation form!

 

ANNUAL THEME 2023 – SPACE IS THE CASE

Space is the Case is the title of the annual program 2023 of the art and culture center GEH8. Under this motto we ask about the significance of space in relation to social participation. Our underlying thesis is: No space no place. Only the availability of space enables self-development and participation. We consider the preservation and strengthening of participation to be essential for social cohesion and the identification of the individual in the social structure. 

As an art and cultural center, we rely in our work on the ability of art to create spaces for encounter, exchange and awareness. We will therefore weave our activities this year into an extensive artistic program for raising awareness and creating space, experimenting with formats that, among other things, draw attention to precarious spatial realities and marginalized groups. In the local urban context, we understand this to include young people, migrants, independent cultural workers and creatives, supporters of alternative lifestyles, and the homeless. 

The motto Space is the Case is also a variation of the slogan Space is the Place, the title of an Afrofuturist film from the early 1970s. The film, starring jazz musician Sun Ra in the title role, has been interpreted by critics “as an artistic exploration of the realities of life for people of color, in the context of which themes of alienation, the experience of “otherness” and “strangeness,” and expectations of a possible utopian future are addressed.” (Alondra Nelson)

With this in mind, our annual program is concerned not only with (the lack of) real spaces, but also with possible spaces and the potential of art to create them. By means of speculative art and design, we link up with the current international discourse on spatial justice.

Here we are particularly interested in how artists, scientists, writers, and activists, incorporating science fiction, utopia, and climate justice, claim the term “futurism” in order to narrate emancipatory futures and strengthen traditions of knowledge that actively counteract the exclusionary mechanisms of Western modernity. We ask: Whose stories are we telling when we talk about futures?