Zilberman Unfold‘26
Open Call – Istanbul & Berlin
Zilberman invites artists based in Berlin and artists based in Turkey to apply for Zilberman Unfold ‘26, to the open call that will be selected by an international jury and will take place simultaneously at Zilberman Berlin and Istanbul.
Until now known as Young Fresh Different, the programme has supported emerging artistic practices through its open call format since 2010. With this edition, it takes on a new name and format, reflecting a shift in how we approach the programme and the practices it accompanies. Unfold points to a process: something opening, becoming legible, finding its form. For the first time, both locations share a common thematic focus.
Zilberman Unfold ‘26: Sites of Relation
Sites of Relation starts from the premise that every artistic practice is situated: in a place, a history, and a web of dependencies. It takes shape through the spaces one works in, the economies one navigates, the political realities one responds to, and the past one inherits or contests. These relations do not remain external to a work; they enter into its material, form, and meaning. Artistic practice can make social conditions legible, intervene in them, or forge new connections between aesthetic form and the questions a society confronts.
A site of relation may be understood spatially and temporally: a material and the histories layered within it, a narrative and the shifting conditions of its reception, or a network of alliances through which a practice circulates. Political, economic, and historical structures leave traces in objects, territories, architectures, and bodies. They shape who has access to resources, whose labour is acknowledged, and whose history is told. Materials, images, and spaces carry layered histories, and their meanings shift as the conditions of perception change. Artistic practices can make these shifts tangible through research, formal and sensory means, or strategies of subversion and reframing.
Sites of Relation operates between Berlin and Istanbul, two cities connected by histories of cultural exchange and overlapping artistic communities, yet distinct in their conditions of contemporary production. What can be shown, what can be said, what publics gather around a work, and what economies sustain it find different answers in each context. The open call invites proposals in all media that engage with the relations we inhabit and the material realities that shape them.
Zilberman continues a long-standing commitment to emerging practices by opening a dialogue between artistic work and the specific conditions from which it grows.
Who can apply?
The open call is aimed at artists between the ages of 18 and 35 who are not yet represented by a gallery. Artists based in Berlin may apply for the Berlin exhibition only; artists based in Turkey may apply for the Istanbul exhibition only. The selected works will be presented in two separate group exhibitions at Zilberman in Berlin and Istanbul.
Selection process
The selection process will take place in two stages. In the first stage, the Zilberman team will review all applications. In the second stage, an international jury of art professionals, including representatives from Zilberman, will make a selection for each location. 10 artists will be selected per venue.
Works
Applicants should submit a single work or series intended for exhibition. The work must not yet have been presented publicly. Applications are not limited to a single medium.
Artist fee
Each selected artist will receive a fee of €300 covering production and transport costs. The fee will be paid after the exhibition opening. Our team additionally provides installation support, press work, and visitor services.
Exhibition spaces
Zilberman | Istanbul: Mısır Apartmanı K.3 D.10, İstiklal Cad. No.163, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
Zilberman | Berlin: Goethestr. 82, 10623 Berlin (Charlottenburg)
Exhibition dates
Berlin: July 23 – August 22, 2026
Opening: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Istanbul: July 25 – August 22, 2026
Opening: Saturday, July 25, 2026
How to apply?
Please submit two separate PDF files, one for the applied work and one portfolio, as a single PDF (max. 10 MB) in English.
- Max. 3 images of the submitted work (including a detailed shot), with caption information (title, medium, year, dimensions) and a description of the work (max. 1,000 characters including spaces)
- Portfolio including CV, contact information (telephone, email, address), and artist statement (max. 1,000 characters including spaces) and previous works with captions (max. 5 DIN A4 pages)
- Video works: please include a password-protected link (YouTube, Vimeo, or similar) in the caption of the relevant work within the PDF
Deadline: Tuesday, June 2, 2026, 23:59. Applications received after this date cannot be considered.
Selected artists will be notified by June 25, Tuesday 2026. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. Submissions and enquiries: (google form link)