Guest Room is a format that fosters collaboration and sparks creative exchange.
For this edition, Assistant Curator of Photography at SFMOMA Shana Lopes and artist Aspen Mays introduce the theme "A Little Bit of Magic".

"Since its invention in 1839, photography has been called a “magic mirror” and even a form of “natural magic.” The earliest viewers struggled to explain how light, chemistry, and optics could produce such convincing illusions. “Magic” became the easiest way to describe what no one quite understood. In every generation of photographers, there have always been some artists who have turned away from the documentary characteristics of the medium to instead create images that challenge the logic of the real world. Again and again, they return to magic and, in so doing, bring spectacle and wonder back into photography.

We invite artists to consider how magic functions within photography today. What happens when the medium feels overly rational or even the opposite, wildly implausible? Where do artists reinsert illusion and misdirection back into their work? We welcome work that engages doubling, substitution, sleight of hand, constructed realities, staged impossibilities, reenactment, and the pleasure of participating in an illusion. In a moment shaped by synthetic imagery and information overload, how might magic once again become a way to push back or re-enchant the medium of photography?"

Why submit to Guest Room?

Get the chance to be awarded a 250 € Der Greif Guest Room Scholarship
Be discovered by an expert 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 10€
Win a Face-to-Face feedback session with the curators

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.

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Der Greif is a registered non-profit. In these challenging economic times – especially for arts organizations and artists – we are convinced to provide a vital platform for our community. If you're in the position to support this mission, we value your support.

Since launching Guest Room in January 2015, we've invited a broad range of professionals (gallerists, editors, curators) to create opportunities for artists to share their work and get it in front of an international network they might not have access to otherwise. We are more committed than ever to continue this work.

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