COLOGNE.- In 2026/27, the unique residency and exhibition program by Internationale Photoszene Köln will take place for the fifth time. Together with the Deutsches Tanzarchiv Köln, the Archiv der Fotowerkstätte Schmölz, the Greven Archiv Digital as well as the FrauenMediaTurm Köln and the LVR-Landesmuseum Bonn, we invite artists to delve into diverse photographic holdings, stories, and discourses, and to develop their own explorations and projects.

The new edition of Artist Meets Archive once again brings together a wide range of different photographic archives and collections, highlighting the complexity and versatility of photography: as a medium of reportage or feminist activism, documenting urban history and spatial change, or interpreting movement and dance (history). It combines extensive press image archives with collections and estates of significant photographers, opens up diverse institutional perspectives on photography, and places a particular focus on the (image) archive at the intersection of analogue and digital organization and use.

International Open Call starting January 5, 2026

The Open Call launched on January 5, 2026, inviting artists from around the world to apply for one of the residencies. Applications are submitted via the digital application forms of the respective archives and collections at photoszene.de. The application deadline is February 5, 2026.

The residencies will take place in summer 2026 at the participating archives and collections. The resulting solo exhibitions will be jointly and ceremonially opened and presented as part of the Photoszene Festival in May 2027.

Jury and Selection Process

The selection of the participating artists will take place through a jury process in February 2026. The juries vary by archive and consist of representatives of the respective institutions, Heide Häusler (Artistic and Managing Director, Internationale Photoszene Köln), Daria Bona (Program Director Artist Meets Archive, Internationale Photoszene Köln) as well as one external expert from the curatorial or academic field. The external experts will be announced at the end of January.

The Program Artist Meets Archive

Artist Meets Archive is the central curated program of Internationale Photoszene Köln, focusing on artistic engagement with photography in the context of archives. Since 2018, the successful residency and exhibition program has been organized in cooperation with a rotating selection of photographic collections and archives from the city of Cologne and the surrounding region. To date, 12 institutions have participated in the program, including Museum Ludwig, the Dombauarchiv, the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, the Kölnisches Stadtmuseum, and Die Photographische Sammlung / SK Stiftung Kultur. Within this framework, 20 renowned international artists – including Erik Kessels, Fiona Tan, Joan Fontcuberta, Ronit Porat, and Lebohang Kganye – have been able to combine their specific artistic practices with the respective archives and tell new stories beyond scientific archival logics. All selected artists are invited to Cologne to work with the photographic holdings of the archives and collections and to develop their own artistic explorations based on the specific material. The resulting projects are presented to a broad public as solo exhibitions at the Photoszene Festival in the following year.