This call aims to select 30 new artists working with photography who will participate in the PARALLEL Platform 3rd Cycle, which will take place between September 2019 and November 2020.

Those selected will be taking part in an innovative creative process, from the very beginning to the moment of the exhibition, together with 35 other new artists and curators. The jurors are looking for new artists who satisfy the following criteria:

• are in the early stages of their career;
• show significant artistic potential;
• their artistic practice is engaged with contemporary discourse;
• haven’t yet attained international recognition;
• have had NO MORE than 3 individual exhibitions in a museum/gallery/festival;
• have had NO MORE than 6 collective exhibitions in a museum/gallery/festival.

Please understand that if your work was shown in more than 3 individual and/or 6 collective exhibitions in a museum/gallery/festival, your application will not be considered.

Applications from artists who have never exhibited at museums/galleries/festivals are more than welcome.

The call is open internationally to new artists of all ages working with photography. The selection will take into account gender balance and overall diversity. There’s no compulsory theme, all work is appreciated.

PARALLEL working language is English; therefore all applicants must understand, speak, read and write in English.

Selected artists will:

Participate in the PARALLEL Artistic Guidance to develop a new project, with the support of a high profile tutor*;

Present their previous work in the PARALLEL Intersection Budapest (HU), September 2019. Travel up to 250 €, accommodation and subsistence costs in Budapest supported by PARALLEL*;

Present their new project to new curators and artists at PARALLEL Curatorship, March 2020, in a European location to be confirmed. Travel up to 250 €, accommodation and subsistence costs supported by PARALLEL*;

Present their project in the final cycle exhibition at PARALLEL Intersection Landskrona (SE), September 2020. Travel up to 250 €, accommodation and subsistence costs in Landskrona supported by PARALLEL*;

Have their project presented in all the PARALLEL exhibitions they are invited to during Exhibition Platform, between May and August 2020*;

Have their project featured in the yearly catalogue PARALLEL Atlas (and eventually other exhibition catalogues);

Have their project promoted internationally under the PARALLEL Platform framework;

Be part of a vast network of high profile and cutting edge established and emerging artists, curators and other art professionals.

*exact dates and locations to be confirmed.

About PARALLEL

PARALLEL – European Photo Based Platform brings together creative European organisations committed to promoting cross-cultural exchanges and mentorships in order to set new standards in contemporary photography. It aims at creating and implementing a new and European-wide Exhibition Platform to showcase emerging creators, introduce new and relevant photographic work in the European art context and promote a new orientation to the relationship between creators, exhibitors and the public.

The Platform process seeks to improve emerging creators’ skills through Creative Guidance activities, providing them with a set of new competencies to facilitate their access into the professional art world. With its network, Parallel works towards breaking down boundaries between artists and curators, and between them and exhibitors. It helps museums, festivals and galleries to open their walls to new artists, thus widening the circulation of artwork and giving creators and organisations the opportunity to reach wider and diverse new audiences at international level.

PARALLEL Platform is designed and led by Procur.arte, a cultural association based in Lisbon, and co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. The Platform members are high-level creative and cultural organisations, which include museums, galleries, cultural centres, festivals, art schools and publishers – 18 vibrant European cultural hubs, from 16 different countries, that participate in selecting and hosting emerging artists and curators, organising exhibitions and promoting artistic networking.

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How to enter

No less than 1 and no more than 3 projects

• please identify which photos are part of which project.

• each project submitted MUST be accompanied by a project description with no more than 1500 characters.

• it possible to send loose images, not part of a project, just identify as such.

• total of images (regardless of how many projects you submit) must range between 10 and 20.

• image size: min. 1500px on the long side, sRGB

Upload the Application Form in the first step of the submission process. Applications that don’t include the filled form will not be considered.

All texts must be in English

Edson Chagas, Artist
Edson Chagas (1977) studied photography at the University of Wales in Newport and the London College of Communication. His series Found Not Taken, represented Angola at the 2013 Venice Biennale, for which Chagas won the Golden Lion for best national pavilion. He is among the recipients of the 2018 African Art Award by the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and has exhibited extensively in venues such as the MoMA (NYC), the Institute of Contemporary Arts (London), and the Zeitz Mocha (Cape Town).

Emma Lewis, Assistant Curator, International Art at Tate Modern
Emma Lewis is Assistant Curator, International Art at Tate Modern, where she curates exhibitions and displays and researches photography acquisitions for the international collection. Recent projects include the exhibition Wolfgang Tillmans: 2017 and catalogue essays for Shape of Light: 100 Years of Photography and Abstract Art and The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection. She is currently curating the first UK exhibition dedicated to Dora Maar, and co-organising a conference on women in photography. Emma’s book ‘Understanding Photography’ – a look at image-making from the first photographic processes to the post-internet age – was published by Bloomsbury in 2017. @_emmalewis___

Jean-Marc Lacabe, Gallery Le Château d’Eau Director
Jean-Marc Lacabe (1952) founded ARPA (Action et Recherche Photographique en Aquitaine) in 1978. He organized numerous exhibitions and was the art director of two festivals, thus advancing the recognition of photography as an art form in France. Since 2001, he has been the director of Le Château d’Eau in Toulouse. His programme includes exhibitions of renowned photographers, as well as emerging photographers and other artists who use photography, and it's aimed at introducing photography to different audiences, encouraging them to develop their insights.

Marina Paulenka, Organ Vida Festival Director
Marina Paulenka is an artist, independent curator and founder and Artistic Director of the Organ Vida International Photography Festival, Croatia. She was the recipient of the Lucie Awards 2018 for best curator/exhibition of the year and has curated numerous solo exhibitions of artists such as Nina Berman, Katrin Koenning and group exhibitions like Vigilance, Struggle, Pride: Through Her Eyes. Paulenka is an international juror/nominator and portfolio reviewer at many institutions, awards and festivals worldwide.

Nuno Ricou Salgado, PARALLEL Platform Artistic Director
Working since 1990 as creative producer and project manager for several institutions in the cultural industries, Nuno is currently the artistic director of PARALLEL European Photo based Platform. Previously, he was the creative director of Flâneur New Urban Narratives (2015-17), a project co-funded by the European Commission and UNESCO. Both as a producer and as a creative, Nuno has been developing projects related with visual arts (photography), festivals, performing arts, multimedia, music, creative markets and international cultural networks. He received the Award for Portuguese Producer of the Year 2014 - Prémio Natércia Campos. Nuno is founding member and Chairman of the Board of Procur.arte.

FAQ

Will I be eligible if I've exhibited - individually or part of a collective - in school or such venues, other than museums/galleries/festivals?

Yes, you are welcome to apply and your application will be eligible.

Will I be eligible if my work was never shown at a museum/gallery/festival?

Yes, all artists are welcome to apply as long as they don't exceed the limit of exhibitions.

Will my application be eligible if my work was displayed in more than 3 individual exhibitions at a museum/gallery/festival?

No, this is a call for new artists who have shown their work in NO MORE than 3 individual exhibitions at a museum/gallery/festival.

Will my application be eligible if my work was part of more than 6 group exhibitions at a museum/gallery/festival?

No, this is a call for new artists who have shown their work in NO MORE than 6 group exhibitions at a museum/gallery/festival.

Will I be eligible if I attach or write my CV instead of uploading the filled Application Form?

No, the Application Form is absolutely mandatory for all candidates.

Will I be eligible if I didn't study photography in university?

Yes, the call is open to all artists who follow the criteria, regardless of their academic background.

I don't have an European nationality, can I participate?

Yes, we welcome artists from all nationalities, regardless of where they're based, provided you can get a VISA to attend the mandatory project meetings and events.

I have an European nationality but I live outside of Europe, can I participate?

Yes, we welcome artists from all nationalities, regardless of where they're based, provided you can get a VISA to attend the mandatory project meetings and events.

I don't speak, write or understand English, can I participate?

Because we're working with so many different countries, our official language is English. Some knowledge of the language is required to ensure you can work and communicate with fellow artists, tutors and others.

I would love to participate but cannot afford the application fee. What should I do?

Email us at parallel@procurarte.org

If I'm selected for the yearly programme will I be granted an artist fee?

No, PARALLEL does not provide an artist fee.

PARALLEL will support your travel expenses (up to 250 €, both ways), accommodation and subsistence costs to all mandatory activities. In addition, we also pay for all exhibition production costs, tutors' expenses, catalogue production and distribution, promotion and divulgation activities (such as the Platform presence at international photography events and art fairs).

I cannot get a VISA and will not be able to attend the mandatory activities, can I participate?

No, it's not possible to join the programme if you cannot attend the mandatory activities.

If I am selected, do I have to develop a new body of work throughout the programme?

Yes, all selected artists have to commit to present a new body of work, never exhibited or made public before in any form.

I'm an artist currently working with other media but interested in exploring photography, can I apply?

Yes, the platform is "photo-based", therefore artists working with other media are welcome if photography also takes part in the work presented/developed.

We work as a collective, can we apply?

Yes, you can, however in terms of support, PARALLEL can only guarantee expenses equivalent to one person. The remaining will have to be provided by yourselves.

Can I apply with a collection of photos instead of a closed and finished project?

Yes, granted you send a statement with the images.

What do you mean by "Selected artists Agreement"?

The artists selected by the jury are asked to sign an agreement with PARALLEL, concerning the details of their participation in the programme.