OPEN CALL - 23rd  Begehungen Art Festival

We are currently observing how social, political, and technological realities are increasingly created and stabilized through narrative, visual, and algorithmic processes. While everyday understanding of reality is that of a given, stable, and objective order, the 23rd Begehungen Art Festival proceeds from the fundamental insight that reality is always constructed: it is narrated, framed, selected, and produced through institutions, routines, language, or collective interpretive frameworks; it is the result of social, discursive, and technological processes that are increasingly becoming active producers of reality themselves. The staging of reality is therefore not an exceptional case, but a fundamental mechanism of societal reality production. In the context of digital media, AI-supported image generation, and accelerated public spheres, the boundaries between fact and fiction, document and construction, reality and simulation are increasingly dissolving. 

At the same time, authoritarian regimes worldwide are gaining influence, propagating alternative ideas of freedom, truth and the public sphere.

In political, economic, and technological spheres, competing visions of reality emerge, each asserting its own normative order. At the same time, models of reality spread in which solidarity, minority protection, or climate policy measures appear as superfluous, "woke" interventions, or democracy is understood as a historically outdated organizational principle.

Threat scenarios and fear narratives function as central instruments of political mobilization, while the distinction between fact, interpretation, and fiction becomes increasingly blurred. In this field of tension, democratic negotiation processes come under pressure, while authoritarian and technocratic models of rule gain plausibility, increasingly delegating political decision-making to economic, media, or algorithmic logics.

Against this background, the 23rd Begehungen art festival, under the title In der Vorstellung, is dedicated to the diverse staging strategies of reality in the present.

EXHIBITION

The exhibition will showcase 20-25 works by international contemporary artists, complemented by a festival program featuring concerts, readings, lectures, and performances. The exhibition will be comprised of works and project ideas selected by the artistic director from a worldwide open call. 

The artistic direction of the exhibition is by Dr. Claudia Tittel. She has been working as a freelance curator and cultural manager in Germany and abroad since 2009, including for the Academy of Arts Berlin, the National Gallery Vilnius, Es Baluard-Museu d’arte contemporani Palma de Mallorca, the Klinger Forum Leipzig, the Klassik Stiftung Weimar and the Gera Art Collection.

Venue

Das Chemnitzer Schauspielhaus

The Begehungen art festival uses temporarily or permanently vacant spaces each year. In 2026, the Chemnitz Theatre will be the venue. Built in the late 1970s, it has been unusable by the theater since 2022 due to structural defects, as the planned renovation proved more expensive than anticipated.

A lively debate is currently taking place in politics and civil society regarding renovation and new construction. This debate is not only about the specific building, but also serves as a representative discourse on the value of culture and how to deal with the architectural heritage of the GDR. 

OPEN CALL

The festival aims to focus on those constellations in which technological infrastructures, economic interests, and political ideologies intertwine and give rise to new forms of authoritarian reality production. The exhibition understands these developments not as isolated phenomena, but as expressions of profound shifts in epistemic orders, in which reality increasingly appears malleable, strategically modelable, and staged.

Artists are invited to submit works that explore the construction and staging of reality. We are seeking artworks that reflect on narrative, visual, media-related, or algorithmic processes of reality production and/or analyze media and political stagings. Particular interest is shown in the impact of different staging strategies on perception, affect, interpretation, and action.

The aim is to present a multifaceted panorama of artistic positions that makes processes of reality construction visible and invites a reflective examination of contemporary forms of social reality production.

Submissions can include works from all artistic genres, including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, sound and performance, as well as interdisciplinary formats.

DEADLINES

Application period: February 24, 2026 - March 15, 2026
Submission deadline: March 15, 2026, 11:59 PM (CEST)
Jury results announced: Early April 2026
Festival dates: June 19 - July 5, 2026

HONORARIUM

Participation in the exhibition will be compensated with an exhibition fee of 300 euros (gross). 

The organizer will bear the costs for shipping the artworks to and from the event.

Conceptual and/or participatory works can be realized with a material grant of up to €700. If coordinated setup and dismantling by the artist or assistants is necessary, travel expenses will be reimbursed and free accommodation will be provided (for a maximum of 5 days).

For performances: Provided it is ensured that the performance can be staged at the festival venue on at least three consecutive days during the festival period, it will be compensated with a total of 500 euros (gross). Travel and accommodation costs will also be covered by the organizer (please indicate your place of arrival in your application).

It is also possible to apply as a group. The exhibition fee is paid per artwork, not per person.

Each artist or group can only submit one work.

APPLICATION PORTAL

You can find the application portal under this link.

Please note:

  • You can only apply with a login. This can be easily requested on the portal.
  • It is possible to save the application form as a draft.
  • Applications that have already been submitted cannot be processed again.
  • If not all mandatory fields are filled in, the application cannot be submitted.
  • All documents must be provided in PDF format. The file size per PDF must not exceed 10 MB.

Important: Applications submitted by email or post will not be accepted! Only applications submitted through our application portal will be considered!

The following must be submitted:

  • a fully completed online form
  • a short portfolio of previous work (referred to as "portfolio" in the form)
  • a short CV (referred to as "Curriculum vitae" in the form)
  • A document describing the work to be exhibited (referred to in the form as "Description of Submission"):
    This should include a textual description as well as an image of the work(s) to be exhibited or links to audio or video files.
  • Technical requirements (only if necessary, add to the document "Description of Submission"):
    • a complete tech rider
    • Indicate whether you have your own technical equipment or need to rent it.
  • Please be sure to answer the following questions (in the document "Description of Submission"):
    • Does the artwork include audio elements? If so, be sure to check for a complete tech rider.
    • Is your artwork intended to be interactive, meaning that it can be touched, entered, or otherwise used by the public? If so, do you think this could lead to damage or soiling of the artwork? (Please bear in mind that the Begehungen art festival has many thousands of visitors, and interactive artworks will therefore be used intensively.)
    • For conceptual or participatory projects: Describe your material costs. Please calculate them as precisely as possible. Keep in mind: The maximum budget, including equipment (rental), is €700.
    • Do you have to set up the equipment yourself, or can this be done by qualified staff from the organizer?
    • How long will the construction take?
    • What tools, materials and display furniture (pedestals, sideboards, display cases, etc.) do you need?
  • When applying, we ask about the type of artwork. This helps us organize the selection process. The following options are available: "Painting / Graphic Art / Photography", "Sculpture / Plastic / Installation", "Media Art / Film / Sound", "Performance" and "Other".

Questions about the application: application (at) begehungen-festival.de
or see the FAQ at the bottom of the page.

Begehungen Art Festival

The festival was founded in Chemnitz in 2003. It is one of the most prestigious art events in Saxony and attracts thousands of visitors every year. Since 2010, the festival has changed its venue annually. Past locations have included a former prison, vacant cultural centers, abandoned allotments, an old brewery, disused department stores and schools, a drained water park, a derelict museum, and an overgrown train station.

The Begehungen art festival is designed to be inclusive and accessible. Entry to all events and the exhibition is free of charge. The festival is made possible through the extensive volunteer work of the members of Begehungen e. V. and many other helpers.

A look back at past editions of the festival:

2025 - Everything is interaction - former HKW Nord

2024 - KIPPELN - former CSM

2023 - et cetera pp - Schlosspalais Lichtenstein

2022 - Plansch - Erzgebirgsbad Thalheim

2021 - Leerzeit - Güterbahnhof Altendorf

2020 - Entwürfnisse Ring 8 - Kaufhalle Hutholz

Begehungen2024_012_©JohannesRichter

Photo: Johannes Richter
Hito Steyerl Green Screen Kunstfestival Begehungen

Photo: Johannes Richter
2021 - Donnerstag

Photo: Johannes Richter

FAQ

Is there an age restriction for the open call?

No. Not this year.

Is it also possible to apply as a group?

Yes. It is also possible to apply as a group. The exhibition fee is paid per artwork, not per person. Each group may submit only one artwork.

What applies to conceptual work?

For conceptual projects requiring several days of on-site implementation, we provide limited funding for travel, accommodation, and materials. Conceptual and/or participatory projects can be realized with a materials grant of up to €700.

If coordinated setup and dismantling by the artist or assisting persons is necessary, travel expenses will be reimbursed and free accommodation will be provided (maximum 5 days).

Can I also apply with a performance?

Yes, this is possible. For performances: Provided it is ensured that the performance can be staged at the festival venue on at least three consecutive days during the festival period, it will be compensated with a total of 500 euros (gross). In addition, travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the organizer (please indicate your place of arrival in your application).

What kind of accommodation is provided?

We provide a private room in a holiday apartment that can accommodate a maximum of two artists. The apartments are equipped with a kitchen and bathroom.

Where do I turn if I have a question?

We will answer your questions as quickly as possible at application (at) begehungen-festival.de

Where is the link to the application portal?

Further up, but you can also just click here: Link to the application portal