ENERGY: redistributing power and taming consumption

FUTURES invited artists of the FUTURES Talents community to submit their applications for the Open Call 2023. Selected projects will participate in the annual FUTURES group exhibition, curated by and exhibited at three venues – Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center (Budapest),PhotoIreland (Dublin), and in fall 2024 at FOTODOK (Utrecht).

This year, the Open Call’s theme is ENERGY: redistributing power and taming consumption.

FUTURES is interested in the polarity of possible interpretations of this theme. On the one hand, it speaks to the energy crisis human and non-human entities are facing today that is on everyone’s mind. Colonialism, patriarchy, extractivism, consumerism, anthropocentrism, and wars have been shaping this crisis for a long time, highlighted by the current war in Ukraine as one of its horrific factors. The planet is exhausted by the continuous exploitation of its resources through mining, drilling, forest clearance and other ways humanity has been trying to master energy. We are interested to see how submitted projects respond to the ecological, socio-political, economical, and humanitarian energy catastrophe, and to the ongoing search for renewable energy, ways of reducing energy demands and waste, and revealing energy injustices.
On the other hand, ENERGY, paradoxically, stands for the power needed to bring change into this world, transformed by… energy. The range of subjects here can be broad. Think of spiritual and healing energy; communal energy, synergy developed by a group – be that protestors or collaborating artists; restoring energy in the times of a post-pandemic great resignation and burnout society; addressing emotions, from erotic to anger, in the way they generate energy; and of course modes of leadership or horizontal structures designed by women and non-binary people. Energy as vitality, creativity, strength and consolidation that bring people together, make them socially active, helping each other and reacting to ecological and socio-political emergencies.
Last but not least, image production, distribution, and consumption largely involve energy – both literally and ontologically. They are often contingent on rare earths and metals such as coltan, cobalt, and europium. And time and effort people spend on creating and sharing “content,” or the attention needed to archive and systematise photographic imagery, is increasing daily, creating unprecedented digital abundancy. We are interested in seeing submissions that reflect on the medium and its specificity and circulation in relation to energy.
What are we looking for? FUTURES is interested in projects in which ENERGY is the starting point for artistic exploration, as well as landscape for new imaginaries. We would like to see personal stories as much as documentary or social approaches and artists exploring the limits of the medium and looking for new forms of narration. The submitted work can take a historical, contemporary or transhistorical angle. We are interested in work that is unique, whether critical, concrete, activist, speculative, utopian, fictional, poetic, or even satirical; we aim to represent a variety of approaches around ENERGY with the final selection of artists.

The curatorial team of Open Call 2023:

Angel Luis Gonzalez and Julia Gelezova (PhotoIreland);
Emese Mucsi (Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center);
Daria Tuminas (FOTODOK).
FOMU, Antwerpen, Trigger Magazine, Anne Ruygt, Pamela Peters, and Tom Viaene.

The open call received over 100 applications from across Europe. The selected artists are Antonio Guerra (ES), David Biro (HU), Hien Hoang (VE/DE), Marta Pinto Machado (CV/PT), Tanja Engelberts (NL), Umberto Diecinove (IT), Yana Kononova (UA) and Yana Wernicke (DE). Each artist presented unique and diverse perspectives on the theme of ENERGY, their projects will be shown at Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center (Budapest),PhotoIreland (Dublin), and FOTODOK (Utrecht).

The jury was really enthusiastic about the quality of all the submissions: “We received 116 incredibly strong submissions. We spent a few days preparing, carefully looking through all projects, and making our individual short and long lists. Later, we gathered twice online, and spent overall more than six hours reflecting and discussing the proposals. There were so many talented artists and incredible work submitted, and we genuinely thought we could make three different selections and exhibitions with what was on the table: concerning “concrete” energy, protest, spiritual healing, communities, or forces of nature.

With the finalists that we collectively selected, we emphasize the diversity of the approaches to the subject matter. While some projects talk about the destructive forces of energy in warfare or in extractivist society (Engelberts, Kononova), others explore existing strategies as possible solutions (Biro, Diecinove, Guerra), exemplify desirable companionships (Wernicke) and reflect on healing (Hoang). Finally, there is a perspective on how the colonial and capitalist structures shaped contemporary cities and how the energy of presence in these spaces could be a form of resistance (Machado).
It was important for us to see the relevance of the proposal and unique artistic voice, and at the same time to make a complementary selection, where projects are different and yet can connect in an exhibition space. Since the open call is aimed at the creation of an exhibition, it was important for us to see how artists work with the medium of photography, materiality, and installations. So you can find projects that are conducted following a documentary tradition (like Kononova who works with film and direct documentation). Others bring in VR experience (Hoang) or installations with the use of different elements of the subjects explored (Guerra). Narrative might be the key for particular projects (Diecinove), and on the other pole from that would be abstract work where form and concept are in the lead (Biro).
Finally, we wanted to make our selection critical including artists of different generations and stages of their careers, and give them equal opportunities. Last but not least, we largely enjoyed the process, the thoughtful and respectful discussion, and the unique chance to study all the amazing submitted projects. Many that we really liked didn’t make it to the final selection, but made it to our research internal lists, and definitely to our hearts.”
‍The Jury: Ángel Luis González and Julia Gelezova (PhotoIreland); Emese Mucsi (Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center); Daria Tuminas (FOTODOK); and Pamela Peters (FOMU).

What winners receive

The chance to be part of a traveling exhibition at Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center (Budapest),PhotoIreland (Dublin), and FOTODOK (Utrecht).
A €1750 research fee
Close consultations with Futures' curators.
Networking opportunities with the experts invited to take part in Futures programming for 2023.
A feature in the 2023 Futures publication.

About Futures

Co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, Futures is a Europe-based photography platform bringing together the global photography community to support and nurture the professional development of emerging artists across the world. Since 2017, it aims to add long-term value in empowering early and mid-career photographers – launching initiatives to promote their work and granting them access to an unprecedented network of professionals, markets and audiences.