OPEN CALL for a project of artburst berlin e.V.

In our dreams we process reality. Originating from our unconscious, they can either frighten us as nightmares or longingly accompany us as desires. And although we often dream of things that have happened already, dreams also have the potential to spawn something new. We often flee from our daily lives into fantasies. The idylls that we immerse in can occasionally become reality yet mostly remain dreams.

Dreams can also function on a collective level, for example as empowering desires for the future. In this way, dreams can connect people and inspire them to collectively develop alternatives to the current reality. A Utopia can unleash powers that allow us to deal with the present, to imagine a more "just" future and to fight for it. Utopias and dystopias have long accompanied us as a political model of society in literature, film and science. But what some people view as a utopia, might already be someone else's dystopia. This perspective is therefore always dependent on our position in society. Utopian and dystopian ways of living do not emerge in a vacuum, but are always shaped by prevalent power structures such as the capitalistic system, the patriarchy or white supremacy. Until those power strutures are abolished, these collective dreams can in the mean time be constructed as Utopias.

What influences our dreams? How do dreams become reality? When does a utopia transform to a dystopia?

Based on these thoughts, we want to investigate what importance can be attributed to dreams today. For our upcoming exhibition in the summer of 2023 we invite artists to deal with this topic. We welcome works from all artistic mediums. Our curatorial practice is always based on diversity and intersectionality and we are therefore excited to receive diverse submissions. Since the exhibition will be held in cooperation with the Studierendenwerk Berlin, participation is limited to university students.