Brno AiR, Open Call ShadowFrame

Brno Artists in Residence & Galerie G99 invite you to participate in an open call for all researchers in the field of contemporary art (visual artists, theoreticians or curators) of any nationality, gender and age to participate in a two-month residency in 2026. The BAiR residency programme is institutionally managed by the Brno House of Arts.

THE THEME OF BAIR AND G99 IN 2025
In 2025, G99 and BAiR (Brno Artists in Residence) are announcing an open call for residencies focused on exploration of the changing relationship between technology and the representation of reality. Based on this open call, four residencies will take place between March 1 and April 30, 2026, and May 15 and July 15, 2026.

The aim of the annual thematic series, ShadowFrame, is to explore how the relationship between technology and the representation of reality has changed over time: from the former technical and political inaccessibility of technological tools, the current seeming democratization, to modern forms of regulation. In the past, access to cameras and broadcasting was limited to elite structures, but today, while everyone has a smartphone, the visibility of images is determined by algorithms and the distribution logics of platforms. Content regulation no longer takes place at the level of state surveillance, but through commercial logic and invisible filters. However, the very boundaries of what is even imaginable are defined by deeper cultural and political frameworks that are also reflected in the technical image, which is based on the illusion of objectivity. This mechanism is now even more clearly revealed by the massive production of synthetic AI outputs, which do not threaten reality with their artificiality, but by accelerating the hidden framing that has been present in imaging from the beginning. 

In this situation, we ask: who programs reality today, what is a forbidden image, and can artistic practice not only circumvent these filters, but also critically address them? We are looking for researchers in the field of contemporary art who have a long-term interest in this topic, as well as those who are intrigued by this open call and would like to explore the topic in 2026.

HOW TO APPLY

• a short description of the project or a motivation letter related to the topic ShadowFrame (max. 1 A4 page of text), please specify the preferred date of your stay
• portfolio (PDF/max 10 MB or website link) and CV

For video files, please provide links to your own website or video sharing platforms such as Vimeo, YouTube, etc. Please do not send links to downloadable video files. Applications are accepted in Czech, English and Slovak by email only until 16 November 2025. Please send applications with the subject line "Open Call BAiR 2026" to: [obfuscate_1_|96|114|106|108|95|112|116|101|112|114|113|105|106|111|99|113|105|96|98|108|97|101|60|100|107|95|105|104|43|97|109|109]. ATTENTION, this address is only used to collect applications! Please send your questions to [obfuscate_1_|105|97|96|105|97|95|107|60|97|115|107|45|113|106|99|108|105|42|96|120] or [obfuscate_1_|106|97|106|100|99|112|64|96|114|107|43|117|105|98|108|103|46|95|119].

DEADLINES
Deadline for applications: 16 November 2025
Announcement of results: by 15 December 2025
Residency dates: 1 March-30 April 2026 or 15 May-15 July 2026

Selected applicants will be informed about the results by email. The results of the open call will be published on the Brno House of Arts website, the Brno Artists in Residence facebook and instagram page. Unsuccessful candidates will not be contacted separately regarding the results of the open call.

CONDITIONS OF THE RESIDENCY

The Brno House of Arts provides:

• artistic scholarship: 40 000 CZK (20 000 CZK/month);
• accommodation in a separate room with shared sanitary facilities (kitchen, toilet, bathroom) and open studio space in the House of the Lords of Kunštát in Brno, CZ;
• elementary technical equipment and workshops;
• production assistance and consultation by BAiR staff.

Participants of the project commit:

• to cover travel expenses at their own expense;
• to stay at the BAiR Residency Centre at the agreed period for at least 75% of the total time;
• to provide samples of their own work for promotion on the web and social media of BAiR and the House of Arts and to participate in making a short profile video.

Selection process and the right to change:

• A three-member BAiR team (Šimon Kadlčák, Jan Langer, Barbora Trnková) and two external professionals are responsible for the selection;
• we guarantee the realization of three residencies on the basis of an open call. However, the committee and the organizing team reserve the right to change the rules of the open call slightly (e.g. select a larger number of residents, invite some of the applicants to participate in a group exhibition or another type of project, etc. These proposals may be offered to the applicants together with or independently from the residency. Any change is seen as a proposal submitted for joint discussion and can of course be rejected);
• participation of artistic couples and groups is possible, but we cannot guarantee a corresponding increase in financial support in advance. The participation of a larger number of collective applicants may also impede the availability of accommodation in separate rooms for those;
• project funding is largely dependent on public resources. In case it is not possible to guarantee a full subsidy to the selected residents for financial reasons, we reserve the right to individually arrange an alternative solution (change of the length of stay, date modification, etc.);
• all information requested for the open call application is used for internal purposes only, is not shared with other parties except for the invited external commissioners and is not archived after the results have been announced.

For further questions, please contact the BAiR programme coordinators:

Šimon Kadlčák: e-mail: [obfuscate_1_|105|97|96|105|97|95|107|60|97|115|107|45|113|106|99|108|105|42|96|120] or Jan Langer: e-mail: [obfuscate_1_|106|97|106|100|99|112|64|96|114|107|43|117|105|98|108|103|46|95|119]