**EXHIBITION AUTUMN 2023 OPEN CALL**
September 2023 - November 2023
Topic: Change
Deadline: 31st July 2023
Our Statement
Open Call to artists everywhere! On the occasion of the 10th-anniversary celebration of Kulturschöpfer e.V., our Green Hill Gallery will host a new exhibition starting September 9th, 2023. Submit your art to be part of this exciting event!
Within ten years, Kulturschöpfer has witnessed and experienced a lot of changes. Be it within our organization or in our neighbourhood, be it in the people that have been shaping our values and building our community for years or in those who just collaborated with us in a transient but nevertheless vitalizing manner, we see how changes are and always have been a fundamental part of Kulturschöpfer.
For this reason, we seek to explore the concept of ‘Change’ through this exhibition. We invite both emerging and established artists from Berlin and all over the world to illuminate, through their personal artistic approach, the diverse ways in which change shapes our lives and perspectives. Please be aware that since Kulturschöpfer e.V., and by extension the Green Hill Gallery, constitute a non-profit organization, accepted artists living outside of Berlin will have to take care of the transportation of their artworks.
Concept Note
Change is a fundamental aspect of human life, constantly reshaping the world around us. Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus concluded that, like the flowing water of a river, life, and nature are permanently shifting and changing. In a similar sentiment centuries later, the contemporary author Octavia E. Butler picked up on this thought in her novel The Parable of the Sower, reminding us that ‘the only lasting truth is change.’ The permanence of change remains crucial to human existence. But change is complex; it comes in various forms and shapes: transformation, innovation, transition, revolution… No matter the specific context, terms like these find at their heart the desire for something more, something better, because all of us are, in one way or another, not content with how things are. When we desire to see change, we imagine how things could be and not just settle for how things are; this should be our aspiration for change.
Just like the river Heraclitus refers to, the essence of Kulturschöpfer is rooted in the willingness to stay dynamic. By seeing change as an opportunity, we want to actively stimulate processes of adaptation, integration, transition, and renewal and, therefore, genuinely become culture ‘makers’ instead of settling as mere sustainers within a preexisting culture. Consequently, we embrace change with the humility, receptivity, and openness that an international and inclusive space like ours requires. In the end, as so often before, we find the best parallel in nature, where dynamic ecosystems, such as an estuary (the area where a freshwater river or stream meets the ocean), model how the most productive, diverse, and flourishing ecosystems are those that are subjected to the most change.
However, change can also unmask itself as highly challenging. The urge to be in control often clashes with the reality of being powerless in certain situations: unable to mold specific circumstances into how we want them to be. Unexpected or unwanted changes can cause fear, worry, and frustration. Change, therefore, also tests our capacity to respond. When we are pushed out of our comfort zone, when we are no longer in control, when we lose the power to influence a process of change directly, our flexibility to react and address these circumstances is demanded. We, as a non-profit organization, experienced this recently when we, faced with a global pandemic and the rising prices for energy and products, needed to come up with creative solutions to survive. However we as an organization are comprised of individuals, who are also daily being confronted with change, either it be in our relationships, our jobs or health. On a broader level, as a society, we are confronted with problems that affect us all. Whether it be gentrification in our neighbourhoods, pandemic, climate crisis, racial inequality, or war, all of which demand structural policy changes and, most of all, and most challenging, personal adaptations in our way of living and behaviour as individuals. We must ask the necessary questions to determine the most fruitful response we can give to the changes and challenges we are facing.
In our eyes, the ambiguity of change makes it an interesting concept to explore regarding our ten-year existence as an organization. We decided to 'Be the Change' when we started this community and now have an opportunity to look back and notice how we achieved valuable changes in this time while also being able to adjust to others’ seemingly less encouraging but equally valuable critiques, for the development and strength of our community. For us, to ‘Be the Change’ means to be willing to change, especially in learning from ways we have done wrong, by listening, exploring, and growing together. Kulturschöpfer is fostered by the stories of the people that build it, stories that often find changes at their core, showing the beauty that comes out of change if you are open to embracing it. And so, precisely for this reason, we are intrigued to discover your view on this concept, and we can’t wait to be challenged and changed by your thrilling ideas.
Questions we want to explore through this exhibition:
How can we actively shape and influence change towards the positive, and in turn, how does change shape us? To what extent do we have the power to shape our lives and surroundings? How do adaption, integration, transition, and renewal shape and influence change and shape us?
How can we respond to the real fears caused by the challenges of changes we face today? Whether in our personal lives (i.e., relationships, jobs, health, etc.) or on a global level (pandemic, climate change war, etc.), What role do humility, receptivity, and openness play? Could those help us to be proactive toward the changes that will come in the future?
How does the constant change of our surrounding world shape our perception and understanding of beauty, our identities (beliefs, experiences), and our communities?
What is our societal mindset towards the processes of change we see, and are we openly addressing them enough? Does the pace of change seem to be increasing compared to 50-100 years ago? How would/could listening, exploring, and growing together influence this dynamic?
What are the personal narratives and stories that emerge from experiencing change? How does change manifest in our homes, workplaces, cities, and natural surroundings? In your story experience, has change been a form of transformation, innovation, transition, or revolution for you?
Send us your application through this link!
