Getxophoto 2027 Open Call

Getxophoto invites visual artists and photographers worldwide to exhibit at the 21st edition of the Festival in May–June 2027, with three artists selected from 12 finalists to be included in the programme.

Overview

Getxophoto offers visual artists and photographers from around the world the opportunity to exhibit their work at the 21st edition of the Festival, which will take place from 27 May to 20 June 2027 in Getxo, Basque Country, Spain. The programme is structured around the theme of Tide.

In its literal sense, a tide is a natural phenomenon: the rhythmic rise and fall of sea levels. However, it can also be understood more generally as the interaction of forces that act on the landscape and constantly transform it. This dynamic movement inspires the 21st edition of Getxophoto and serves as a starting point for a reflection on the status of images and their social impact.

Tide invites us to approach photography not as a static object, but as a practice in constant movement – one that shifts boundaries and moves beyond established limits. Images circulate, are reproduced, change context and meaning, appear and disappear, are archived and retrieved. They move between people, territories, and times and, when they reappear, often offer a different viewpoint or can be seen in a different light. They resurface in a here and now that is never quite the same.

A tide, moreover, can also be a current, a force that grows stronger and can change direction: not only an external force –social, political or cultural– that pulls us along, but also a collective impulse that we are part of and, at the same time, contribute to shape.

Getxophoto 2027 – Tide calls for proposals in the field of image-making –photography, video, actions, installations, digital art or other visual practices– that engage with these currents: projects that not only reflect collectivity but also help build it. They are looking for projects that make visible what had remained hidden, unsettle what seemed fixed, transform memory, or envision new connections, forms of action and collective resistance.

The jury will select 12 finalist projects and three prize recipients. The selected projects will be included in the programme of the 2027 edition.

Practical Info

Applicants must submit a bio, 10 to 20 files, along with the project details, such as title, description, year, and image title. Submissions must correspond to the theme of the next edition of the Festival, Tide. Projects may be submitted in both English and Spanish.

The three selected artists will benefit from an exhibition or installation during the 21st edition of the Getxophoto Festival – with production costs will be covered by the organisation, a fee of €500 for their participation in the festival, accommodation for two nights during the Opening Week plus travel support (up to €150), and media coverage.

The jury is composed of Monica Allende (independent curator, creative director and educator based in London), Victoria Ismach (curatorial coordinator at the Montevideo Centre for Photography), John Fleetwood (educator, curator and director of Photo: in Johannesburg), and Cale Garrido (curator of Getxophoto).

About Getxophoto

The Getxophoto Image Festival has been held in Getxo (Basque Country, Spain) for over 20 years. The Festival brings to the city different proposals from visual artists from all over the world, establishing a conversation each year around the proposed theme.

Getxophoto is characterised by the radical defence of public space (physical and online) as a meeting place, a place of mutual recognition and a field for experimentation, play and celebration in the face of its homogenisation and privatisation. For this reason, most of its programme is made up of open-air installations, highlighting the link between the image and the environment, while also generating a more horizontal and participatory relationship with the public.

Understanding public space also from a digital perspective, Getxophoto welcomes artistic projects that emerge from online spaces, works that approach digitality from a critical point of view.