open call “democracy lab” – fwb

Ohme is launching an open call for artists on the BrIAS 2025-27 topic Democracy Under Pressure: Challenges and Innovations, in collaboration with BrIAS, co-founded and directed by the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).

This call is for visual artists connected to the contemporary art field of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles — that is, artists who live, work, or have a professional practice within the French-speaking art community of Belgium.
We are open to all media within the visual arts field (digital arts, plastic arts, design).

Open call “De­mo­cra­cy Lab”

Every year, Ohme supports and accompanies several artists through artistic and scientific residencies. Through this initiative, and according to the specific needs of each artist, Ohme actively supports innovative artistic projects, offers solid curatorial and scientific guidance, fosters networking with experts and researchers, and encourages exchanges between art, science, and society.

The Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies (BrIAS) aims to expand the mission of other IAS (Institutes for Advanced Study) by focusing on current and urgent themes with significant societal impact. Located in the heart of Brussels, it attracts the best scientists, artists, and designers from diverse fields and countries, without philosophical or political restrictions, offering them the opportunity to work in an atmosphere of complete freedom, collaboration, mutual stimulation, and cross-fertilization.

In this context, BrIAS is focusing its 2025-2027 edition on the challenges of democracy.

As democracies around the world face increasing tensions, this program brings together international specialists to analyze and discuss major contemporary issues, including the cross-cutting theme of democratic innovations and the role of art:

• Polarization, Populism, and Violence: exploring growing societal divisions and the “us versus them” mentality, with a focus on deliberative democratic processes (citizens’ assemblies, participatory forums) to foster dialogue across ideological divides.

• Democratic Short-Termism and Sustainability: analyzing the tendency of democratic systems to prioritize immediate benefits over long-term challenges (climate, migration, budget deficits), examining institutional innovations that integrate long-term thinking and the interests of future generations.

• Technology, Misinformation, and Artificial Intelligence: studying the impact of digital platforms and AI on democratic governance, examining both risks (manipulation of public opinion, misinformation) and opportunities (transparency, citizen participation, secure voting systems).

• Inequalities and Inclusion: exploring how economic disparities and structural inequalities (gender, race/ethnicity, age, social class, abilities) undermine equal representation and weaken democratic institutions, with a focus on inclusive innovations (participatory budgets, electoral quotas, redistribution reforms).

These issues will be addressed in connection with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 10, 13, 16, and 17.

Residency Description

The call is open to individual artists or collectives (hereinafter “the artist”).

The selected artist will participate in the BrIAS 2026 program, including a series of discussions and working sessions on the aforementioned themes. The artist will meet and collaborate with approximately twenty international Fellows selected by BrIAS, specialists in their fields.

In this context, the artist will conduct an artistic research project related to the program, benefiting from Ohme’s support, in ongoing dialogue with the program’s interdisciplinary community.

Residency Commitment

The residency is structured around two key modules that will take place between February and May 2026:

1. BrIAS Seminar Series (February–May 2026)

The selected artist will actively participate in the BrIAS program, attending weekly sessions every Thursday (approximately 4 hours/week). During this period, the artist will develop an artistic research project in dialogue with the Fellows and the Ohme team, engaging with the program’s interdisciplinary community and contributing to the seminars’ discussions, with a focus on a thematic week on Art & Democracy.

2. Crossing Wires – Public Event (May 2026)

The residency will culminate in a two-day public event that includes research presentations, practical workshops, interactive sessions, public conferences, and discussions. The selected artist will be invited to lead a workshop based on their practice within the residency context (for example, exploring how democratic issues intersect with artistic creation) and present their work to the general public.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for artistic projects in development that demonstrate a critical understanding of issues related to democracy under pressure (cf. BrIAS program).

The project must show clear alignment with the program’s theme and the cited SDGs.

The artist must:

• Demonstrate an established artistic practice and previous works dealing with contemporary democratic and societal issues.

• Be ready to actively engage in the BrIAS program, with both theoretical and practical approaches;

• Propose a project open to interdisciplinarity and dialogue between art, science, and society;

• Demonstrate how their proposal directly articulates with the BrIAS cross-cutting theme of democratic innovations (see above).

We are open to all media within the visual arts field (digital arts, plastic arts, design).

What We Offer

Please note: the residency budget depends on public funding. Precise information will be confirmed in early 2026.

• Artist remuneration: the selected artist will receive compensation according to CP 304 for a maximum of 20 working days.

• Production budget: up to €2000 for production costs.

• Documentation support: up to €2,000 for professional documentation of the artistic research and outcomes.

• Access to a high-level scientific program (approximately 4 hours/week).

• Support from Ohme’s artistic and technical team (duration and modalities to be defined according to the project’s specific needs).

• Access to Ohme’s university network, with personalized connections according to the artist’s needs.

• Workspace in Ohme’s premises at USquare (according to needs).