The Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade
Announces an open call for the online exhibition in the field of visual arts:

“Na drugi pogled // Auf den zweiten Blick // At Second Glance”

The COVID-19 pandemic has been exceptionally challenging for the art world. International travel, visits to museums, galleries, live discussions and exchanges between art professionals were replaced by virtual tours, webinars, online meetings, various forms of internet presentations and art events. In light of these uncertain circumstances but also of the opportunities offered by new forms of art  creation and communication, the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade is launching an online platform dedicated to the dialogue between Austrian and Serbian artists.

This platform is conceived as an exhibition space for thematic and curated art content. In the initial phase, it will host artworks by 10 visual artists from Serbia and 10 from Austria, selected through an open call. 

The call invites artists to submit artworks in digital form that shed light on the way European societies look at themselves and “the other”. The title “Na drugi pogled // Auf den zweiten Blick // At Second Glance” calls for works of art that reference and transcend the clichés and prejudices Austrians and Serbians have about each other despite – or precisely because of – their close historical relations and intertwined migration histories.

In rethinking what is taken for granted, the works of art themselves should point to something different from what they seem to be at first glance, opening up this “second glance” to the audience. 

The public launch of the online platform is planned for March 2021, to mark the 20th birthday of the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade and the 185th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Austria and Serbia.

The call is open until 31 January 2021, 23:59 UTC at secondglance.rs/application

The call is open to contemporary visual artists over the age of 18 with a minimum of three years of professional experience who are Serbian or Austrian citizens or currently live and work in Austria or Serbia. It is possible to apply with more than one artwork, in which case a separate application must be submitted for each artwork. Artists are encouraged to submit artworks that will be premiered on the platform.

Applications are to be submitted in English through the online submission form available on secondglance.rs/application, and have to include the following information:

• Name and surname of the artist
• Contact information (cell phone, e-mail, postal address)
• Title of the artwork, technique / medium, dimensions and / or duration, year of creation (up to 40 words)
• An artistic statement about the proposed artwork, with an emphasis on the idea (or concept) of the artwork, how it relates to the subject and can be communicated to a wider audience (up to 200 words)
• A short artistic biography in narrative form, which in case of selection will be used for the platform (up to 200 words)
• In case of submitting an artwork that exists in a physical form, upload a maximum of three photos of the artwork in jpg or png format with a resolution between 1000x1000px and 4096x4096px
• In case of submitting a video artwork, include up to three stills and a link where the video will be accessible to the jury

Artists can only apply with works for which they have all copyrights. In case of co-authorship, it is necessary to include a written proof of consent from the other authors. 

The results of the open call will be published on the platform secondglance.rs and the selected artists will also be notified by e-mail. If the artwork is selected, an agreement allowing the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade to use the attached materials for the needs of the platform and its promotion for non-commercial purposes will be required. This permission will not forbid the author from presenting the artwork on other platforms/exhibitions.

The selection of artworks will be made by a jury composed of:

Aleksandra Jovanić, DA, assistant professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade
Dejan Kaludjerović, MA, artist, cofounder of arts and cultural organization Verein K from Vienna
Miroslav Karić, curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade
Sanja Kojić Mladenov, PhD, Senior Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Vojvodina, Novi Sad
Mirjana Boba Stojadinović, MA, artist
Jelena Glišić, MA, Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade

Each artist whose artwork is selected will receive a fee of 600 euros.

For all additional questions, you can contact us by e-mail: info@secondglance.rs
The Austrian Cultural Forum reserves the right to change the date or content of the project at any time.