Zilberman invites young, Berlin-based artists to apply with one work for a group exhibition in the gallery space of Zilberman | Berlin in Charlottenburg.

You say I have unlimited potential. I disagree

The first edition of Zilberman | Berlin’s open call series is dedicated to the subject of potentiality. Derived from the Latin potentia (translated: ability, strength), the word describes the quality of an object or a person to have potential. Potentials are possibilities. Often existing yet unutilised possibilities or strengths awaiting realization. Within the realm of art, potentiality initially manifests itself as a driving force, a dynamic energy that drives creative exploration and innovation: In their search for new talent, gallerists and collectors weigh up the potential of emerging artists. New, unusual places and spaces for art are discovered, created and expanded. Artists explore the potentials of different materials and test the boundaries of traditional art genres. But they don't stop there; they also work with what is perceived as having no potential - the unusable, the forgotten, the overlooked - and constantly renegotiate what that means. Take, for example, Agnes Denes' Wheatfield - A Confrontation, for which the artist transformed a former landfill into a wheat field in the center of Manhattan, New York City.

But all that glitters is not gold. At a time when concepts of potentiality are being exposed as neoliberal mental constructs of the privileged, and the dark side of self-optimization is becoming more apparent through social media, the idea of unlimited potential seems to have lost its shine. Given these ambivalent approaches, we ask: How does potential take shape when we think of the new, the different or the unfamiliar? What potential lies in overlapping materials, media or alternative approaches that defy clear categorization? What potential do private spaces (such as galleries) have in comparison to public institutions? The title You say I have unlimited potential. I disagree questions, in a gesture of resistance, the presumed premise of an allegedly limitless potential that extends to different areas of life, such as work or health.

The Open Call is aimed at visual artists (aged 18-35) and invites them to respond to the theme of potentiality with a work that is not necessarily limited to one medium. With the Young, Fresh, Different format, Zilberman has been promoting emerging artists at its Istanbul location since 2010, giving them the opportunity to present a work in the professional environment of a gallery through a public call for submissions. The exhibition aims to give young artists more visibility in the art scene and to open a dialogue between them and a gallery. This year, the exhibition project takes place for the first time in Berlin. Zilberman | Berlin was founded in 2016 and has been located at Schlüterstraße 45 in Charlottenburg since 2023. A maximum of 10 artistic positions will be selected by an expert jury.

Thematic brief and text by Lusin Reinsch

Who can apply:
Professional artists aged between 18 and 35 who live in Berlin and are not already represented by a gallery."

Works to apply with:
The applicant shall submit a single work to be exhibited. The work must not yet have been presented publicly.

Working materials and support:
Each selected artistic position will be financed with 300 €. This includes the production and transport. Our team also supports the projects with a set-up team, press work and visitor service. This artistic fee is to be paid after the exhibition opening.

Exhibition space:
Zilberman | Berlin is located at Schlüterstraße 45, 10707 Berlin.

Exhibition period:
19 July - 24 August 2024, opening 18 July 2024

To apply, please submit (in one PDF document, max. 10MB):

- CV, contact information (telephone, e-mail address, address) and artist statement (max. 1000 characters incl. spaces)
- Max. of 3 images of the submitted work (including a detail shot), caption info (name, technique, year, dimension) and description of the work (max. of 1000 characters incl. spaces). Submitted images should be in high quality.
- A portfolio of previous works / projects along with the captions (max. 5 DIN A4 pages)
- Video works should be submitted with a link (to be accessed with a password, via Youtube, Vimeo etc.) mentioned in the caption of the work in the related PDF.
- The deadline for submissions is Saturday, 4 May 2024 23:59. Applications after this date will not be considered.
- Languages: English or German

Incomplete applications cannot be considered.
Enquiries and submission to: yfdberlin@zilbermangallery.com

Expert Jury:

Gabriela Lademacher (Collector & Founder of Lademacher Consultancy), Lotte Laub (Gallery Director at Zilberman | Berlin), Catherine Nichols (Curator at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart), Simon Wachsmuth (Artist), Christopher Weickenmeier (Curator and Research Assistant at the Kunstraum Leuphana University Lüneburg)