Open Call for a Solo Exhibition at CdRF, Bucharest

CdRF invites Romanian artists working with photography and expanded image based practices to apply for a curated solo exhibition. This open call seeks to identify one outstanding emerging or mid career artist whose work engages critically, imaginatively, and formally with the conditions of contemporary life in Romania today.

Curated by Marina Paulenka

Organised by CdRF (cdrf.ro)

Deadline for submissions: 15.03.2026

Exhibition period: 01.05.2026 – 28.05.2026

Artistic direction of the open call

Rather than prescribing a single topic, this call is guided by a shared artistic orientation. We are looking for a practice that reflects on the present with intellectual depth, visual sensitivity, and ethical responsibility. We understand photography not simply as a tool of documentation, but as a space where power, memory, identity, and reality are negotiated and transformed.

We are particularly interested in artists who address urgent contemporary issues in Romania, engaging with social, political, technological, ecological, and cultural transformations that shape everyday existence today. We encourage proposals that grapple with lived realities, structural inequalities, and the complex entanglements between the individual and society, including questions of power, belonging, and visibility. We are looking for work that reflects on histories of transformation, the legacies of post socialism, and the rapidly shifting landscapes of both urban and rural life, as well as the ongoing impact of migration, labour, and economic precarity.

For this edition of the open call, we have a special interest in practices that critically examine how contemporary Romanian society is experienced and negotiated, from the reshaping of public and private spaces to the ways in which digital culture, surveillance, environmental change, and identity politics influence personal and collective life. We are open to diverse perspectives, ranging from intimate and personal approaches to more investigative, conceptual, or poetic strategies. We welcome submissions that challenge conventional definitions of photography and may incorporate mixed media, installation, moving image, sound, archival material, or digital formats, valuing experimentation, formal rigor, and thoughtful engagement with the medium.

The selected artist will be invited to develop their project in close dialogue with the curator

through a series of conversations in March and April. This collaborative process will support the conceptual development of the exhibition, the selection of works, and the overall curatorial framing, positioning the exhibition as both an artistic presentation and a space for reflection on contemporary Romanian society.

About the curator

Based in Berlin and originally from Croatia, Marina Paulenka brings over 18 years of experience in artistic direction, curating, education, leadership, management, and cultural development—alongside her own artistic practice. Her work spans contemporary visual, digital, and performing arts, with a specialization in photography and new media. Across these roles and mediums, she consistently pushes boundaries, provokes critical dialogue, and engages with urgent global concerns. Her practice is shaped by intellectual rigor, a commitment to innovation, and a focus on intersectionality, experimentation, and the transformative potential of art. In 2008 she founded the Organ Vita Festival (Zagreb) and managed it until 2019 when she became the artistic director of the UNSEEN photography fair in Amsterdam. In recent years, Marina was the Founding Director of Fotografiska Berlin and established the artistic vision, institutional strategy and public identity of the museum.

Drawing on her post-Yugoslav and Balkan heritage, Paulenka’s curatorial approach is rooted in rich cultural histories and complex socio-political realities. She engages deeply with feminism, identity, gender, human rights, and social justice,as well as the politics of the body, digital representation, and the sociocultural impact of cyberspace. Her perspective is informed by non-Western epistemologies, and she actively centers voices from African, Asian, Latin American, Indigenous, and diasporic communities—foregrounding aesthetics and knowledge shaped by lived histories of resistance,displacement, and care. Working both locally and internationally, she builds bridges between diverse cultural contexts and imagined futures, and is interested in how knowledge is constructed at the intersection of art, science, spirituality, and technology.

Who can apply

This open call is addressed to:

• Romanian artists/residents of Romania working with photography or image based practices;

• Emerging or mid career practitioners;

• Artists whose work shows conceptual maturity and originality.

What we offer

• A fully curated solo exhibition at CdRF;

• Curatorial mentorship and dialogue throughout the development process;

• Complete production and installation support, within the institution’s possibilities;

• Visibility through CdRF’s communication channels and network.

How to apply

Please submit the following in a single PDF file (in English):

1. A short artist statement, maximum 500 words;

2. A project proposal outlining the finalised body of work you wish to present, maximum 800 words;

3. Visual documentation of your work, including 10 to 15 images or links to video if relevant;

4. A brief CV including education, exhibitions and relevant projects.

Submissions should be uploaded here.

Submission deadline: 15.03.2026, 23:59 (EET)

Selection process

Applications will be reviewed by the curator and the CdRF team. Shortlisted artists may be invited for an online conversation before the final selection is made. The final selection will happen on March 20.

We look forward to discovering bold, thoughtful, and visually compelling work that engages with the complexities of contemporary Romanian society and expands the possibilities of photography as a critical artistic practice.

For further information, please contact: hello@cdrf.ro