" Goethe-Institut | FILE NOT FOUND Residency "
Goethe-Institut | FILE NOT FOUND Residency
An international residency explores how the archive itself can become a site of resistance
PROVIDER
Goethe-Institut
Image: Erik Mclean on Unsplash
FILE NOT FOUND - Protect archives. Defend democracy. is a collaborative project bringing together archivists, artists, and scholars to develop strategies for resilient, accessible, and diverse archival practices. At its core lies a central question: How can the archive itself become a site of resistance?
It is an international initiative organized by the Goethe-Institut Portugal, Amsterdam and Washington, in collaboration with Gerador.
Residents must develop an artistic research project and are expected to produce one artwork addressing the project’s themes. The work will be presented in a group exhibition at the Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst (BLMK) in Cottbus, Germany, from October to December 2027.
Possible thematic approaches include:
- Vulnerability, censorship, or loss in archives (past, present, or emerging)
- Strategies to make archives less extractable, deletable, or controllable
- Artistic approaches to safeguarding memory
- Alternative forms of archiving and knowledge transmission
- Tensions between visibility, access, protection, and secrecy
INFO
AMOUNT
Fee: 4,000€ (2,000€ artist fee + 2,000€ production budget)
Travel & accommodation: Covered up to 2,000€ (1 person)
APPLICATION DEADLINE
June 7th at 12pm (GMT+1)
ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES
ELIGIBILITY
This open call is addressed to artists working in any field, including (but not limited to):
- Visual arts, Performing arts, Sound, video, and media art, Installation and spatial practices, Artistic research, Interdisciplinary and experimental practices, Heritage research, Theatre
Applicants must:
- Be able to work independently and in close dialogue with an archival institution
- Demonstrate a strong interest in archives, memory, knowledge production, and/or institutional critique
- Be available for an on-site residency during the proposed period
- Be willing to collaborate closely with the host archive and the project team
Artists based anywhere in the world are eligible. The project particularly welcomes applications from artists working in politically sensitive, marginalized, or underrepresented contexts.
APPLICATION DETAILS
For more information about the project and application process check the official website and open call guideline document.
NOTE
*The calls that are listed on our website are shared for informational purposes and are sometimes subject to change. Please visit the organization's official open call website for up-to-date information.
DEADLINE
2026-06-07
TYPE OF SUPPORT
Public funding
FUNDING COUNTRIES
Germany