Hangar Art Open Call 2025

Hangar Open Call will select five recipients to receive a €4,000 cash prize and be featured in an exhibition, with all costs covered.

Overview

As part of the bicentenary celebration (September 2026 to September 2027) of le Point de vue du gras, considered the first photographic image in world history, the Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP) in France has commissioned 15 photographers, focusing on the invention of photography and the relevance of its possible reinvention today. 

The projects are created using all the techniques that currently allow artists to produce photographic images in innovative forms. Hangar, one of the labeled places of the bicentenary celebration, will host the exhibition of the 15 projects from this commission in September 2026 on the theme “Reinventing Photography”. To complement this exhibition, Hangar has decided to launch a call for applications open to Belgian artists photographers and/or artists photographers residing in Belgium.

This call invites artists photographers to explore the same theme: 200 years later, how can photography be reinvented? Is photography a medium that reinvents itself? How do photographic artists, through their practice, keep contemporary photography alive? The call for applications will constitute the Belgian part of the exhibition.

Practical Info

To be eligible, applicants must be Belgian or currently living in Belgium. Submissions must be entirely new works, conceived and produced specifically for this commission, and never before exhibited or published. Artists should also demonstrate a professional track record—either through a history of exhibitions and publications or a degree from an art school.

Five laureates will be selected by a jury of nine photography experts. Each will receive a €4,000 cash prize, which includes a €1,000 contribution from the French Embassy in Belgium. In addition, production support will be provided for the creation of the selected works, which will be featured in a collective exhibition at Hangar from September 17 to December 20, 2026.

Submissions must include a detailed project presentation, a brief biography, a representative portfolio, and a link to the artist's website or social media. The jury will evaluate each proposal based on its alignment with the theme, conceptual depth, narrative strength, and the capacity to provoke reflection and dialogue around the reinvention of photography.

About Hangar Art

Hangar offers the experience of discovering contemporary photography, with carefully curated exhibitions, a specialised bookshop, a program of events, and a commercial gallery. Their mission is to promote and support the work of emerging and established Belgian photographers, European and international artists. The photo art center offers a living and experimental place for both artists and the visitors. Hangar is a non-discriminative art center committed to be in touch with the flow of the cultural world. The thematic diversity presented prompts the audience to engage with a wide array of world issues.