Fotografen: “Caring for Space, Space for Caring Exhibition”

Welcomin nodigt fotografen uit om foto's, fotoseries of korte video's in te zenden die verschillende gemeenschapsruimtes en stedelijke gemeenschappen in heel Europa laten zien.

[Deze oproep is enkel beschikbaar in het Engels]

Caring for Space, Space for Caring
Reclaiming care in times of welfare privatization

The exhibition

Over the past 15–20 years, an increasing number of vacant buildings have been reclaimed by and for communities through various policies, local agreements, and initiatives—whether professionally coordinated or spontaneously led by engaged citizens.

Often referred to as urban commons, third spaces, or community spaces, these reclaimed sites reflect a collective desire to reappropriate care as an essential part of everyday life—care for oneself, for others, and for the shared environment. They serve diverse functions: from cultural and artistic activities to neighborhood facilities, from leisure spaces to shelters for vulnerable individuals, and from community kitchens to children’s playgrounds. These initiatives act as living laboratories, reinventing welfare by organizing care practices to meet society’s emerging needs. In doing so, they foster democratic governance models, empower individuals, and strengthen communities.

While abandoned spaces are being cared for, their spatial morphology plays a crucial role in shaping care practices, resulting in site-specific assemblages and synergies of activities, resources, capacities, and communities. Despite their growing recognition by public administrations and advocacy by engaged communities, these care and welfare infrastructures often remain fragile, constrained by predominantly short-term occupancy arrangements.

Caring for Space, Space for Caring uses photography and video to capture the unique spatial and social assemblages that make these spaces both generative and resilient. Without glossing over the vulnerability and ephemerality inherent in their precarious occupation, the exhibition aims to recognize, document, and showcase the intangible yet invaluable richness of the human, relational, and socio-spatial processes of care and welfare that characterize these spaces, in direct contrast to privatization.

The call

We invite photographers to submit or create photographs, photographic series, or short videos that showcase diverse community spaces and urban commons across Europe. For research purposes, we are particularly interested in images of initiatives based in Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Brussels, Budapest, Naples, Paris, Rotterdam, and Turin, but we also welcome submissions from other European cities.

We seek images that capture these initiatives and convey their hybrid and inclusive spirit, the creativity and resilience of their spaces, the care values embedded in diverse practices, and the richness of their human and relational connections.

Who is it for?

Photographers, artists, and video makers—whether working individually or collectively—of any age and background are invited to submit a project or selection of works that creatively and originally explores the theme of the exhibition. We particularly encourage submissions from photographers who are or have been involved in community-based initiatives and spaces.

Selected artists will receive a €2,000 fee, and their works will be included in the exhibition Caring for Space, Space for Caring, which will be hosted at BRASS (Forest, Brussels) in December 2025. Artists will also be invited to attend exhibition-related events and programming throughout the exhibition’s duration. Their work will be published in the exhibition catalog.

Exhibition research and funding framework

This exhibition is organized as part of the project WELCOMIN – Community Welfare Mixed Infrastructures: Reclaiming Vacancy, Federating Capacities, and Empowering Communities Towards an Ecological Welfare (see www.welcomin.brussels). Within this framework, we use the term community welfare mixed infrastructures to describe community initiatives that reclaim vacant buildings and sites while experimenting with care and solidarity practices, addressing the gaps left by an outdated welfare state and public sector.

The WELCOMIN project is funded by Innoviris, the research funding agency of the Brussels-Capital Region, within the framework of the Prospective Research Program. The exhibition Caring for Space, Space for Caring  will be produced with the support of the Architecture Unit of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

How to participate and deadline:

Artists can submit their work through this form until the 16/06/2025 at 6:00pm GMT+2.

Info/Contact:

For questions or further information, write to info@welcomin.brussels.

Submission Guidelines:

• Photographers are invited to submit photographs or photographic series (consisting of 3 to 10 images max.) or short videos.
• Each submission should focus on a specific community space/urban common/third space.
• Both color and black-and-white photographs and videos are welcome.
• Images should be of high resolution (300dpi) and submitted in JPEG format or as ZIP files.
• Along with the images, please include a brief artist statement (maximum 200 words) contextualizing your photographs and their connection to the exhibition’s theme.

A jury composed of artistic and thematic experts as well as the exhibition curators will select the projects that will be part of the exhibition.

By submitting your work, you adhere to the following terms and conditions.