Goethe-Institutes in Almaty, Hongkong, Peking, Seoul, Taschkent, Tokio and Ulaanbaatar invite artists to submit works or project proposals engaging with the topic of beauty salons across East and Central Asia as spaces of contradiction as part of the ‘Unruly Mirrors’ project.
Beauty practices are never neutral. They reflect social norms, economic pressures, and cultural narratives, and are deeply entangled with phenotypical stereotypes, traditional gender roles, and socio-economic structures. They shape not only how we see ourselves, but also our access to participation in society and our sense of agency.
An international jury will select seven contributions – one from each location. The chosen projects will receive funding and be presented in a shared traveling exhibition starting in the first half of 2027. Local curators will accompany each project, facilitating exchange between artists, audiences, and institutions.
The exhibition will be accompanied by locally curated programmes, including:
Talks & workshops
Film screenings & readings
Performances
Pop-up beauty salons
An exhibition catalogue will be developed in collaboration with the Berlin-based bimonthly Missy Magazine. The project will continue in Germany at the end of 2027 in cooperation with Leipzig-based initiative Grand Beauty.
Eligibility
The project is looking for artists from all disciplines from the participating locations – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, China, and Hong Kong – with existing works or new project proposals.
Support
Financial support for project realization
Participation in an international traveling exhibition (2027)
Involvement in the public programme (talks, workshops, performances)
International visibility and exchange
Presentation in Germany and in Missy Magazine
Unruly Mirrors application guidelines
deadline: 15 July 2026
more info: https://www.goethe.de/ins/kr/en/kul/kfo/urm.html#accordion_toggle_27285791_5/?utm_source=callforORG
