Open call for
the Round 2027.
Stage 1

16.11.2026

Open Call for the 2027 Round. when the hourless seeps

Stage 1
Introduction from AIR InSILo
This year, we continue to structure the open call in two stages. The first stage will be open until December 30. At this stage, we do not require a substantial amount of work from applicants. We request that you carefully read the open call concept and the curatorial text, watch a video featuring our co-curator, who designed the call, and write a short 3-sentence motivation letter. In this letter, you should describe the relationship between your practice and the concept of the call, as well as your motivation and the relevance of taking part in the residency. Please also send us a link to your portfolio.
Secondly, we keep the possibility of applying anonymously. Even though we, as a residency, declare ourselves a solidarity project, we nonetheless respect the right to anonymity as a tool against bias, and are keen to receive feedback on this option. This idea was inspired by the practice of blind auditions in music, which we are attempting to rethink and adapt for a residency open call.

Stage 2
Applications selected in Stage 1 will receive an invitation to participate in Stage 2. Selected artists will have three weeks to submit the required materials. Preliminary guidelines can be found at the bottom of the page.

when the hourless seeps
Curated by Ahmad Darkhabani
Certain moments unfold outside the structures that uphold our understanding of reality and life. Moments when we realise we are living in a constructed reality that could easily fall apart; when the self begins to dissolve as the body deteriorates; when language fractures, unable to hold experience; or when both reality and life are suspended and death slowly seeps through. Such moments threaten our understanding of time, as they cannot be measured by seconds or the hours. They are untethered, refusing to be bound by language or by the delusive persuasion that reality is fully tangible, that life can be stretched toward eternity.
This open call centres on the fragility of reality and life, inviting artists to examine the structures that construct and stabilise our understanding of them. Working with a diverse range of artistic mediums and methodologies, artists are encouraged to examine notions related to death and the anxiety surrounding it, the continuous decay leading to an end, time as an instrument of exploitation, biopolitics and its enforced measures to differentiate between humans within the capitalist system, the vulnerability of the human body, and the crisis of the vanishing self.
For this call, we are searching for practices that reveal the hidden anxieties of our time, examining how specific constructions of reality and life shape and often orchestrate the behaviour of the modern individual. We are particularly interested in practices that interrogate the limits framing our understanding of reality and life, especially where these limits are co-opted as mechanisms of governance or exploitation. While we are open to all artistic mediums, we value a clear coherence between the chosen medium and the concepts the artist seeks to engage with. In their proposals, artists are encouraged to articulate the urgencies driving their work and to reflect on the relevance of their proposal within contemporary social, cultural, and political contexts.
Moving beyond conventional frameworks that classify artistic positions through the politics of identity, such as nationality, gender, sexual politics, or social and cultural background, this open call is grounded in the idea that time, as a resource for developing artistic work, has often been instrumentalised as a tool of exploitation and differentiation. With this in mind, the call seeks to create space and provide time for practices that have been systematically blocked or denied access to such resources under specific political and social circumstances.

Application Information for Stage 1.
Applicants are asked to provide an email address, which may be anonymised; an anonymised (if needed) portfolio; and a motivation letter of three sentences maximum. Please note that we do not accept proposals from students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate programme (except for PhD).

Deadline DECEMBER 30
23:00 CET

GUIDELINES FOR STAGE 2
• A proposal must match the conceptual direction of the new call. Extra consideration will be given to daring creativity and unrestrained experimentation.
• AIR InSILo pays significant attention to the principles of inclusivity and diversity. There is no age limit, and our primary focus is on late-emerging/ early mid-career artists, especially coming to the 'critical' threshold – the age of 35 when institutional support is already fading.
• Special attention will be given to:
– working mothers;
– underrepresented artists;
– artists from countries with minimum/ non-existing support for art and culture;
– LGBTIQA+ representatives;
• We do not accept applications from students (except for PhD candidates).
• The selected artist must spend not less than 80% of the time in the residency. Please see our FAQ for additional information.

Unfortunately, the residency is not equipped for wheelchair access and is not considered entirely safe for children under three years old. But we would like to be as inclusive as possible. Don't hesitate to contact us to clarify the special conditions.

LONG-TERM RESIDENCE
• 7-week residence (Slots in April - May, June - July 2027) in AIR InSILo;
• An honorarium (up to 2450 Euros);
• A coverage of material costs (up to 400 Euros);
• A coverage of travel (up to 400 Euros);
• A coverage of transport costs (up to 175 Euros);
• Usage of the facilities and equipment provided by the AIR InSILo;
• Featuring in the InSILo Magazine;
• 5 Mentoring sessions with the invited curator.
• 2 Sessions with the residency curators.
• PR support is provided by digital means of AIR InSILo.

SELECTION PROCESS
• The deadline for Stage 1 of the open call is December 30 (23:00 CET). The deadline for Stage 2 is January 31 (23:00 CET). The shortlist selection will be made by February 14. After the first selection, the applicants will be contacted for further clarification and will be given four days to update the application. The final selection will be made by February 28.
• All applicants will be notified of results no later than
March 5.
• If you do not receive a letter, your project was not selected

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR STAGE 2
You are welcome to indicate your preferred time slot to help us understand your availability. However, we cannot guarantee that this period will be available and may suggest an alternative if needed.
A submission proposal should be put in a single PDF file (maximum 10 MB).
It should contain:
• A title of the project proposal;
• A separate image illustrating your proposal - vertical, 1500 px on the longer side (for the online publication);
• A presentation of the main project proposal. This section should include the following components (please use subheadings): 1)an abstract (up to 1000 characters with spaces); 2)the long version of the project proposal text (up to 3000-6000 characters with spaces) which may contain the 3) research questions or objectives to be pursued during the residency period; 4) the working methods; 5) a work plan with a proposed timetable; 6) an expected outcome; 7) material costs and a preliminary budget; 8) as well as illustrations, drafts, sketches, links, or 9) other supporting materials, if available.
We kindly ask you to refrain from using any AI tools when writing the text and to appreciate your original thoughts. However, we don't mind if you use it for the final proofreading.
• BIO – up to 1000 characters (with spaces);
• Portrait – b/w, vertical, 1500 px on the longer side, with ©;
• CV – 4 pages maximum;
The working language of the residency is English.
Additionally, we communicate in German and Russian (informally).
A solidarity fee should be paid before filling in the form.

DISCLAIMER FOR STAGE 2
• Please thoroughly study all the premises of the InSILo residency before submitting the proposal. If you have questions which our website or social media can't answer, please attend our Q&A session on January 14 at 19:00 CET.

HARDSHIP PROGRAMME FOR STAGE 2
is an option to stay at the residency for three months if your situation requires it. The honorarium will remain the same. Applicants choosing this option may be exempt from paying the solidarity fee.
• 3-month residence (Slot in June - August 2027) in AIR InSILo.

SOLIDARITY FEE FOR STAGE 2
To support the AIR InSILo Hardship programme, we decided to implement a solidarity fee of 7 Euros. All the funds will be donated to the Hardship Programme of AIR InSILo. One should pay the fee (via PayPal or other means stated on the Hardship Programme page) before filling in the form.
Fee waivers will be distributed on January 19 only. Priority will be given to applicants intending to apply for the Hardship Programme or those who are unable to complete a financial transaction.
To apply for a waiver, please email us on January 19 (not earlier/ later) explaining your situation. The number of waivers is limited. If you do not receive confirmation by January 20, this means that all waivers have been allocated.