OPEN CALL: Submissions for Planetary Realism 

OPEN CALL: Submissions for Planetary Realism 

We invite you to participate in an exhibition taking place from 20 February to 15 March 2026 in the UAP Aula. The exhibition accompanies this year’s courses at the Institute of Intermedia, which focus on the theme of the biosphere. Following Lynn Margulis and James Lovelock, the biosphere is understood as an active, self-regulating “superorganism,” in which all living beings are closely interconnected and interact as parts of the planetary system. The exhibition’s title is inspired by Josephine Berry’s book, which presents art as a tool for exercising imagination in the fight against apocalyptic end-of-world scenarios.

Those who wish to participate are asked to complete a questionnaire with details of the work they wish to submit. This could include a sketch of a piece to be completed by the exhibition opening, or a script for a performance, intervention, or other action. Submitted works should relate to the overarching theme of the academic year. They may explore issues such as biodiversity, interspecies cooperation*, natural processes, adaptation, and symbiosis, as well as activities such as agriculture, horticulture, and beekeeping, or man-made “models” of nature, such as greenhouses, botanical gardens, zoos, or national parks. This theme also embraces research involving new technologies or AI as part of a larger, complex system that regulates the biosphere.

The exhibition will take place in the UAP Aula, Al. Marcinkowskiego 29, Building A. Installation will take place from 16 to 21 February. The exhibition will open on Friday, 20 February at 6:00 p.m. and run until 15 March, and will also be presented during the UAP Open Day on Saturday, 7 March 2026.

The submission deadline is 2 February 2026. Works for the exhibition will be selected by the curatorial team: Sebastian Cichocki, Daniel Koniusz, Karolina Kubik, Krzysztof Łukomski, and Magdalena Starska.

*One possible approach is to present the results of this year’s Postartistic Practices course assignment, which reads:

“Create a work of art in collaboration with non-human actors (wind, decay, bacteria, cat, moss, fermentation, condensation, spider, rot, drizzle, sedimentation, etc.).
Allow for chance.
Be patient.
Decide when the work is finished and ready for presentation.”

Register here.