OPEN CALL – OSTRALE Biennale 2027
from April 15, 2026, 00:00 CET until May 31, 2026, 24:00 CET
O27 – 16. International Exhibition of Contemporary Arts
June 4 – October 3, 2027 | Dresden (Deutschland)
For the 16th time, OSTRALE will host its international exhibition of contemporary art, the OSTRALE Biennale. O27 will take place from June 4 to October 3, 2027, at various venues in Dresden as well as in public spaces.
All artists, regardless of age, nationality, background, or career status, are welcome to apply with artworks related to the theme for participation in the OSTRALE Biennale. All forms of contemporary visual art are approved, including drawing, painting, graphics, photography, sculpture, installation, performance, digital and video art, sound installations, as well as other artforms not explicitly listed here.
The application fee is 20 EUR (reduced to 10 EUR for students), regardless of the number of artworks or series proposed (max. 5). All costs for art transport, insurance, catalogue and exhibition organization will be covered by the organizer. With the participation in the OSTRALE Biennale, each artist or artist group receives a one-time exhibition fee in the net amount of 300 EUR.
Applications are accepted exclusively online via the OSTRALE database from April 15 to May 31, 2026. The prerequisite is that the application relates to the 'Article 5' thematic focus and that all required details are completed in full.
Artikel 5 (Working Title)
Freedom of Opinion, Art, and Science
The O27 Biennale focuses on the human being—as an individual and as a driving force: What does it mean to be human—in today's world?
Since World War II, much of Europe seemed to live for a long time under a promise of stabilized peace. Today, however, the reality of war has become palpable once again. Social upheavals are penetrating the innermost being of the human person: into their feelings, into their fears.
In this context, the human condition comes into focus—that "human condition" which constantly oscillates between good and evil, violence and tolerance, hatred and love.
Time and again, the same driving forces emerge: possession, power, wealth, the "always more" as an anthropological constant.
We counter this destructive dynamic with freedom and lived diversity—diversity of artistic expression, diversity of human emotions. A world characterized by pluralism, openness, reflection, and negotiated compromise.
Art cannot prevent war. But it can sharpen perception, activate memory, and foster empathy. Moreover, engaging with it can bring relief. The search for beauty and the awareness of where one can find direction and continue to develop are thoroughly fulfilled by art.
In this realization lies the hope of the OSTRALE Biennale 2027: that humanity, confronted with its own human condition, recognizes not only its abysses but also its capacity for freedom and responsibility.
O27_Curatorial Concept, full version HIER
DATES AND DEADLINES
Application period: April 15 – May 31, 2026
Exhibition period: June 4 – October 3, 2027
1st Jury meeting: July 28 – July 31, 2026
2nd Jury meeting: End of September 2026
We kindly ask you to refrain from questions regarding the selection of artworks before the jury sessions are over. After the 1st jury session, there will be questions from the curators sent out to the artists to answer. Final decisions will only be published after the end of the 2nd jury session. Applicants will be informed of the decisions in writing via E-Mail.
Jury members: The jury is put together from the O27 curators, as well as Juliane Vowinckel M.A., Cultural geographer and Artist / Germany and Detlef Schweiger, Artist, Curator, Member of the OSTRALE Advisory Board / Germany.
Curators:
Andrea Hilger, Artistic Director OSTRALE / Germany
Dr. Veronika Krülle Kotoucova, Art Historian, OSTRALE / Czech Republic
Dr. Martin Müller, Art Historian, Artist / Germany
Applications for O27 HIER