Der Greif - Balancing Belonging

Theme for Guest Room Guest Room aims to spark collaboration. Marina Paulenka, founding Director of Exhibitions at Fotografiska Berlin, is teaming up with Fotografiska’s Exhibition Manager Thomas Schäfer. Together, they have developed the following framework for your submissions: "Balancing Belonging". Humans are social creatures, and we naturally crave connection and community. Belonging is a very basic need – from the moment of our birth belonging to a group provides us with safety, guidance and learning opportunities. It is at the core of us as individuals. However, balancing our enate longing for a community with the need for self-care can be a challenging task. In today’s world belonging to something or someone constitutes our identity – especially at a young age. This kind of existential pressure holds a strong risk of compromising our personal integrity along with physical and mental health. Balancing our longing for community with the need for self-care is a delicate dance. It requires establishing healthy boundaries, seeking out supportive communities, and communicating our needs with others. This makes balancing the longing for community with the need for self-care a crucial endeavor of our generation. How can we prioritize our own well-being and foster more meaningful and fulfilling connections with those around us? Why submit to Guest Room? Get the chance to be awarded a 1.000 € Guest Room Scholarship Be discovered by two experts in contemporary art and photography Get published in an online showcase on Der Greif alongside emerging artists from all over the world Submit for free or pay a voluntary donation of 8€ Please note: Images which have been selected for a previous Der Greif opportunity are not eligible for re-submission. We want to support the broadest range of photographers possible and therefore encourage you to submit work that has not yet been selected by our past Guest Curators. Any images which do not comply with these terms will be removed from the selection process.