Dresden | OSTRALE Biennale O21 call for entries

For the 13th time the OSTRALE – Centre for Contemporary Art organises its international exhibition of contemporary art in Dresden during the summer months, in the year 2021 from July 1 to October 3. Therefore we invite artists of all nations, age groups, backgrounds and art forms to apply with their works to participate in the OSTRALE Biennale O21.

All proposals will be evaluated by an international team of curators. The final selection of artworks will be made from the works of the applicants and the artists invited by the curators. Applications will be accepted exclusively online via the OSTRALE database until June 28, 2020.

THEMES: Quota, target / GDP / (De)growth / Rivers, streams, currents / Upstream

Looking at the environmental, social and economic dynamics of the last decade (or, to put it bluntly, "the end of the world as we know it"), it is increasingly clear that the imperative of continuous growth and development is no longer a sustainable vision for our future, if we want one at all.

But even though more and more individuals come to this realization, the greater systems that govern our world and our societies seem less willing to change their ways. Sometimes it feels as if we are caught in a current against which it is pointless to fight, but swimming upstream seems more important than ever as we do not have as much time as would normally be needed for such fundamental cultural shifts.

The role of art in this context is problematic: should it serve as a means of to develop sensibility and empathy for a deeper understanding of these questions? Or would this be a restriction of artistic freedom and an invitation to propaganda? Is art a luxury of the developed world that should be abolished first when we reduce our consumption and limit our material needs? Or is it, on the contrary, the most important tool to survive and maintain our hopes in an otherwise hopeless and frightening world?

- All artists, regardless of age, nationality, background or career status, are invited to apply with thematically relevant artworks.

- All forms of contemporary visual art are welcome, including drawing, painting, graphics, photography, sculpture, installation, performance, digital and video art, sound installations and other forms not mentioned here.

NOTE: there is a small entry fee payable

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: June 28, 2020