Open call for Visual and Performance Artists

Borders & Phantoms Event: Open Call for Visual and Performance Artists

Boundaries are frames that demarcate our experience of the world. Inherent to the concept of boundaries is the possibility of excluding something, or someone.*

A phantom is an ethereal, otherworldly figure, existing on the fringes of our reality, always in the back of our minds. It is a shadow that lives in the corner of our eyes and at the margins of language, ever-displaced.** 

Where boundaries are set, there is always something that falls outside those boundaries:  setting boundaries as a process of inclusion and exclusion. 

A palimpsest presence hinging on our imaginations, flickering in and out of existence, yet always haunting, (un)settling, and speaking to whomever dares to speak back, and whoever tries to capture its name.

Pushing boundaries can be a confrontation with the extreme, be it on a physical, psychological or emotional level.

The past is brought into the present as “a moment that no longer belongs to time.” Histories and futures become intertwined, causing us to repeat the past as well as anticipate what is to come.

Ignoring existing borders, even trying to break them, can also be seen as an art of living. "Those who dare to live in excess and borderlessness, become 'happy', the erotic body that puts itself on the line will meet something 'beautiful', it will survive, perhaps live forever."

Can we rely on the arts to find ways to respect those who are no

longer there, as well as those who have not yet arrived?

How can art help us to revive forgotten memories?

How can art help us to create a “third way” to relate to

heritages that have been hegemonically erased?

*Extracts from Simulacrum’s Call for Papers Borders 

**Extracts from Simulacrum’s Call for Papers Phantoms 

Since 1991, Simulacrum Magazine has been publishing 4 yearly calls for papers, providing a platform for (emerging) researchers and writers to publish contributions on a variety of topics. This year, Simulacrum opens an experimental series of open calls inviting visual and performance artists to showcase their work during the launch events of our printed editions. 

The first event, which will take place on April 7 at De Nieuwe Anita, unites the themes of Simulacrum’s latest open calls, BORDERS & PHANTOMS. We invite visual artists and performers working with these themes to submit their work to us.

Submission guidelines:

The deadline for this open call is March 1st Submissions and questions can be sent by email to info@simulacrum.nl. Please indicate in your email for each category below you would like to contribute:

• VISUAL ART: To submit your visual work, please provide at least 2 images and a short description of the link between your work and (one of) the open call themes, and indicate how you would like to set up your work.

• PERFORMANCE: To submit a performance plan, please provide a short description of the performance (with images, if possible), a short description of the link between your work and (one of) the open-call themes, and indicate how you would like to set up your work.

More information:

• Through the Borders & Phantoms event, Simulacrum aims to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue between visual artists and (academic) researchers. The event will provide a platform for (emerging) artists to showcase works that may not fit a magazine format, highlighting the diverse ways practice-led (research) methodologies create knowledges that go beyond discursive borders. 

• Please note that Simulacrum is a non-profit organisation. Although selected artists will not receive financial compensation, their work will be advertised on Simulacrum’s social media channels (one IG post + one website post) and in print on the next edition of Simulacrum Magazine (one image). Additionally, we invite artists to sell artworks and prints during the events.

• Please note that the event will take place during the afternoon, at De Nieuwe Anita, in Amsterdam. For this reason, we ask artists to prepare and take down their works on the same day, and we encourage a simple set-up. We will assist you with the installation and the build off.

• This is an experimental event, and we are also learning from you. Questions & suggestions? Please reach out to us via info@simulacrum.nl.