Projection/Projektion Open Call

ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY

Blue Star Contemporary and Darmstädter Sezession announce international award competition for contemporary video artists in 2021.

Prizes include
-$6,000 USD for one San Antonio artist awarded by Blue Star Contemporary
-5.000€ for one international artist awarded by Darmstädter Sezession
-1.500€ prize for reflection on art through language awarded by Darmstädter Sezession
-Shortlist of video works screened in San Antonio, Texas and Darmstadt, Germany

Timeline
-Open Call: Thursday, May 20 — July 16, 2021 via curatorspace.com
-Review and Jury: July 26 — August 13, 2021
-Screenings in San Antonio: September 8th and 9th
San Antonio open air screenings will be presented in partnership with the City of San Antonio World Heritage Office during the 6th annual World Heritage Festival and are scheduled for presentation at the historic Mission Marquee Plaza (3100 Roosevelt Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78214) on Wednesday, September 8 and Thursday, September 9 at 7pm.
-Screenings in Darmstadt: Dates and final locations TBD, end of August — early September

APPLY for Projection San Antonio
APPLY for Projektion Darmstadt
APPLY for Carlo-Mierendorff-Prize

Blue Star Contemporary (BSC) is delighted to announce its partnership with The Darmstädter Sezession (das), one of the oldest artist associations in Germany, for its 2021 Prize for Young Artists. Founded in 1919, The Darmstädter Sezession of Darmstadt, Germany is an organization whose promotion of young artists is an integral part of its activities. Every year, the artist association awards an outstanding young contemporary artist recipient as part of an open competition and exhibits their work. Projection/Projektion, this year’s program, will be presented in partnership with Blue Star Contemporary and includes video exhibition screenings in both cities and three monetary prizes. For the 2021 award both organizations invite video artists to submit works for consideration.

San Antonio and Darmstadt have been sister cities since 2017. As an extension of their Sister Cities International partnership, BSC and das are excited to collaborate on this competition supporting the work of international contemporary artists. Like BSC, the das has a long-standing history of supporting artists, and particularly of promoting the careers of emerging artists.

The title Projection/Projektion refers not only to this year’s presentation format of video works, but also to the nature of the collaboration and the general need to develop new visions of the future. Projections, whether understood artistically, economically, politically, or psychologically, always have something to do with expectations. They can be a means of exploring paths into the near future and are thus an important tool in the navigation of societies.

This year’s awards are divided into three categories: Projection San Antonio, Projektion Darmstadt, and the Carlo-Mierendorff-Prize:

Projection San Antonio
Blue Star Contemporary’s call for artist entries invites San Antonio-based artists who work with the camera. Applicants are invited to submit up to one video work of no more than 10 minutes in length. A selection of up to 12 works will be chosen for the shortlist by a jury of curatorial professionals and screened at multiple sites in San Antonio. The shortlist works will be screened alongside audiovisual works by Darmstädter Sezession members and the Projection/Projektion Darmstadt winner. The San Antonio open air screenings will be presented in partnership with the San Antonio World Heritage Festival and are scheduled for presentation at the historic Mission Marquee Plaza (3100 Roosevelt Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78214) on Wednesday, September 8 and Thursday, September 9. From this selection, a San Antonio artist will be chosen as the winner of the Projection San Antonio prize and will receive $6,000 USD. The prize-winning and shortlisted films will be presented as part of the open-air cinema in Darmstadt.

The Projection/Projektion San Antonio screenings and award are made possible by the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts and Culture and Office of Global Engagement.

Projection San Antonio Applicants:

Candidates must:

-Live and conduct artistic practice in the city of San Antonio. Must have resided in San Antonio for at least the last 12 months.

-Have at least 5 years of relevant experience and/or specialized arts training, such as a degree or certificate.

-Demonstrate a clear investment of time and resources into their artistic practice

-Have professional portfolios that include publicly displayed and possibly published works.

-Submitted work must have been made in the last 3 years.

-Not be a current student.

-Work demonstrates artistic excellence.

-BSC Berlin Residency Awardees from the last two cycles are not eligible to apply

How to apply for Projection San Antonio:
-Artist may enter one video for submission.

-The video may be no more than 10 minutes in length.

-There are no perimeters for the themes for the type of content to submitted.

-Submissions will include artist name, artwork title, year, length (duration), video format, description of the work, a preview link, a link to the full video file, a website link, and lastly artist can submit additional information they would like to share in support of their application

Apply for Projection San Antonio

Projektion Darmstadt
Each year, the Darmstädter Sezession hosts a competition for contemporary artists. This year, for the first time, the Darmstädter Sezession’s call for artist entries exclusively invites young artists who work with the camera. Open to all artists everywhere born after January 1, 1981, applicants are invited to submit up to one video work of no more than 10 minutes in length through their online platform. A selection of up to 12 works will be presented during a two-week open-air screening in Darmstadt. From this selection, a jury will choose the winner. The winner of the category Projektion Darmstadt will receive 5000€. The winning work will be shown alongside a selection of video works by members of the Darmstädter Sezession at screenings in San Antonio.

• Applicants born after January 1, 1981 are invited to submit up to one video work of no more than 10 minutes in length through an online Open Call. A selection of up to 12 works will be presented during a two-week open-air screening in Darmstadt, Germany. A jury will choose a winning work, and the artist will receive 5.000€. The winning work alongside a shortlist of works by das members will screen in San Antonio, and a San Antonio shortlist will screen in Darmstadt.

Apply for Projektion Darmstadt

Carlo-Mierendorff-Prize
For the first time, the Darmstädter Sezession will offer a prize for people who reflect on art through language. Whether this reflection takes place in writing, in the form of a podcast, or as a video contribution on the Internet is completely open. The Darmstädter Sezession seeks people who offer new approaches and perspectives on contemporary art. The competition is open to all applicants born after January 1, 1981, regardless of their nationality or place of residence. However, submissions must be in German or include a German translation. The call is directed at all persons who regularly publish texts, audio contributions, or videos about art. The winner will be selected by a jury of experts and will receive 1500€. The prize money includes the assignment to write an article about the winning artwork from Projektion Darmstadt.

Apply for Carlo-Mierendorff-Prize

TIMELINE 

-Open Call: Thursday, May 20 — July 16, 2021 via curatorspace.com

-Review and Jury: July 26 — August 13, 2021

-Screenings in San Antonio: September 8th and 9th
San Antonio open air screenings will be presented in partnership with the City of San Antonio World Heritage Office during the 6th annual World Heritage Festival and are scheduled for presentation at the historic Mission Marquee Plaza (3100 Roosevelt Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78214) on Wednesday, September 8 and Thursday, September 9 at 7pm.

-Screenings in Darmstadt: Dates and final locations TBD, end of August — early September

This collaboration is supported by the City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture and das.