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Curatorial Residency Goethe-Institut Brüssel

The Goethe-Institut Brüssel and MORPHO are delighted to inaugurate their collaboration in 2026 with an international curatorial residency. Goethe-Institut Brüssel supports the participation of one curator based in or from Germany going to Antwerp for a three-month residency, in the framework of a thematic programme that explores curating in times of democratic crisis.

Cultural institutions are both the terrain and the subject of social and political debate. However, as unease about democracy grows, the question arises as to how democratic coexistence can succeed in the future. Under what conditions can cultural institutions be places for negotiating democratic self-understanding? How can they make democracy (once again) conceivable?

Period

The residency in Antwerp, Belgium, lasts for 3 months, from April 1 until June 30, 2026.

For whom?

  • This call is open to German curators and curators based in Germany.
  • You have a proven critical practice dedicated to current democratic processes and opening up visions for the future.
  • You want to focus on curatorial research and to present research results during the residency.
  • You want to engage with the Belgian cultural landscape.
  • You are welcome regardless of age, ethnic-cultural background, gender diversity, neurodiversity, and more.
  • We do our best to accommodate everyone’s needs, but the specific architecture of the building (stairs, no lift) means the residency is not suitable for all conditions.
  • There is only room for 1 adult, possibly with a child (Family top-up: 100 € per month). You are welcome to contact us in advance to discuss your personal situation.

We offer

  • Exchange with the Belgian cultural scene in relation to the resident’s interests.
  • Opportunity to present research results or to create a project.
  • Possibility of collaboration in context of an event with David Van Reybrouck, who received the Goethe Medal in 2025 for promoting democratic resilience.
  • Organizational and administrative guidance.
  • Room in MORPHO’s shared residency house (including kitchen, living room, library and shared bathroom).
  • Individual workspace in the monastery of MORPHO.
  • Use of the project space and monastery garden.
  • Weekly programme of sessions together with all residents at MORPHO.
  • Online presentation of your work (website and social media).
  • Newly commissioned portrait by artist-photographer Miles Fischler.

Financial support

Up to 500 euros round trip travel costs are covered. The residency also provides a 1,000 euros monthly fee (gross) and up to 1,000 euros project budget.

Selection procedure

How to apply?

Selection criteria

  • The match between the curator’s needs and what the residency can offer.
  • The impact the residency is likely to have on the development of the curator and the research focus.
  • Projects offering a pronounced interest in the residency’s thematic focus.

Jury

  • Nadine Droste, cultural programme, Goethe-Institut Brüssel.
  • Caroline Dumalin, Artistic Director, MORPHO.
  • Tom Engels, currently Artistic Director, Grazer Kunstverein. He will assume the role of Director of Kunstverein München in January 2026.

Save the dates

  • Application deadline: December 7, 2025
  • Announcement of results: December 22, 2025

About MORPHO

MORPHO is a development organisation for visual artists in Antwerp. We manage fifteen studio buildings and an international residency programme, advocate the place of artists in the city to policymakers and give visibility to their presence to a wider audience. MORPHO’s main premises are located behind Antwerp Central Station and Zoo, in the director’s house of a former biscuit factory (residency) and a former Dominican monastery (studios). The monastery site is shared with Kunsthal Extra City, which organises exhibitions in the church. MORPHO operates independently as a not-for-profit, funded by the city of Antwerp and the Flemish government.

About Goethe-Institut Brüssel

For over seventy years, the Goethe-Institut has enabled international cultural exchange to take place, promoted access to the German language and supported the unimpeded development of culture and science. The Goethe-Institut Brüssel aims to give artistic and cultural voices a platform through presentation, mediation, debate, and diplomacy in order to negotiate the conflicts of our time in all their complexity and nuances of meaning.

Further information: Goethe-Institut Brüssel