Freedom, Tolerance and Truth. Open Call for International Photographers & Filmmakers – Win an Artist-in-Residence Scholarship

77 years ago, Jewish musicians from the surrounding concentration camps played their „Liberation Concert“ as a „celebration of life“ at the Bavarian Benedictine Archabbey of St. Ottilien. To keep the memory and goals of the legendary concert of May 27, 1945 alive, the institution of the Artist in Residence was created. St. Ottilien, views the resident artists, who will work on the monastery grounds for multiple weeks every other year, as sources of current stimuli to the liberation concert of 1945. 

The post-war period was also the hopeful beginning for over 400 Jewish children who were born at the hospital of St. Ottilien by 1948. The film „Liberation Concert“ starring many well-known public figures was released on the Liberation Concert’s May 27 anniversary and commemorates all aspects of its rich history. Against anti-Semitism and hatred and for tolerance and diversity in society.

The association "Kultur am Ammersee e.V." has founded the concert series LIBERATION CONCERT as part of its classical music festival AMMERSEErenade in memory of the liberation concert of Holocaust survivors on May 27, 1945 in the Archabbey of St. Ottilien.

Art and culture shape the future and create identity. With freedom and liberation as its central theme, the LIBERATION CONCERT concert series has been venturing into the future with a view to the past since 2018. St. Ottilien and the liberation concert of Jewish musicians immediately after the end of the Second World War are a cautionary message in a time of anti-Semitic and racist tendencies everywhere in Europe and the world. Since Russia's invasion of its neighbor Ukraine, the expectations of the LIBERATION CONCERT as a commemorative concert are even greater; it is about much more, it is about the rights of freedom that our free democratic basic order guarantees us. It can be experienced in art.

Freedom, Tolerance and Truth
Artist-in-Residence

Your Project Work
during the Residence

Art for Freedom. This is the motto for the 2nd Artist-in-Residence, who dedicates his artistic work with photo and film / video to the topics of freedom, tolerance and truth during a stay at St. Ottilien. The award acknowledges artistic work, which actively explores the topics of liberation and past during a spiritual stay at the monastery and which promotes the development of a lively democracy. This time: photography and video/film - for the promotion of memory culture and for shaping the future. Three spiritual weeks among the mission Benedictines shall unite mind and soul and develop into one grand visual whole, followed by an exhibition of the oeuvre in September 2023 in the Monastery: a photo serie or/and a video-film of max. 10 minutes.

The project work during the residence in St. Ottilien must reflect the value trilogy "Freedom, Tolerance, Truth" in photo or video film (All genres and styles are accepted). The project work must establish the reference to the Archabbey of the Missionary Benedictines St. Ottilien, to its Jewish history up to topics of the present day.

During their stay, the selected artist will have also time to work on an already ongoing project or to develop a new one and/or to conduct research.

Application procedure

Please send your application via WeTransfer to , including the following document and

an artist portfolio, Topic: „Freedom, Tolerance and Truth“ (All genres and styles are accepted)

in PDF format (max. 15 MB) which contains information about the applicant’s work, selected work samples, links to movies and a CV. For questions of any kind do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail.

The residency is open to all international artists aged 18 and over. The application process is running to April 30, 2023

Schedule

Application deadline: April 30, 2023
The selected artist will be notified by June 30,  2023
The residency begins on August 21, 2023 for three weeks
Exhibition Vernissage planned for September 14, 2023

What You Get

Full board accommodation in St. Ottilien for 3 weeks
1800 EUR Scholarship for the residency period (paid weekly 600 EUR each)
The reimbursement of your travel expenses (economy air fare or train ticket)
Exhibition in St. Ottilien (Your residence work, not your submitted portfolio). Printing of the images according to the wishes of the photographer. Costs takes over organizer. / Film presentation (Vernissage planned for 14.9.2023)
A portfolio in Tagree Magazine

If you arrive by train, this is the arrival station. The St. Ottilien stop was put into operation on June 30, 1898 on the Ammerseebahn, which was opened at the same time. It is the only train station in Germany that has served only to connect a monastery since its opening and to this day. Image: St. Ottilien stop with the corrugated iron hut serving as the station building in 1900. In a beautiful landscape lies the old station of the monastery village of Sankt Ottilien (Eresing), district of Landsberg am Lech.
Photos © Michael Nguyen/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

Infos about St. Ottilien

Website
Wikipedia
24.9. - 4.10.2012 Street Art Festival “Heaven meets Earth”