About the Call Full Details
The FOTODOKS festival for contemporary documentary photography, held in Munich, Germany, is preparing for its thirteenth edition in October 2027. This edition is centered around an open call for projects that reflect on the multifaceted concept of ‘care’ and its intricate connections to politics, emotions, and intimate relationships.
In a time when terms like ‘community’ and ‘belonging’ are frequently used buzzwords, often devoid of substantial meaning by branded campaigns and marketing, this call seeks to delve deeper. Care can manifest as emotional, physical, or psychological support, and it encompasses significant social and relational dimensions. It is a culturally charged concept, with its understanding shifting across various relationships and interdependent spheres, involving humans, environments, and governments alike.
We are looking for existing lens-based, documentary-driven stories that honestly and realistically engage with ‘care’ and its contemporary meanings. How does documentary photography intersect with today’s imaginaries of care, particularly given the dismantling of welfare state models and the promotion of ‘self-care’ through capitalist lenses? The curatorial team encourages submissions that explore how these narratives are expressed, rejected by major media, or find resonance in alternative contexts. Is care a practice of freedom or one constrained by ethics and morality?
Submissions are open to professional photographers, including individuals, collectives, or groups, and can be made in either English or German. FOTODOKS strongly encourages applications from people of all ethnic backgrounds, religions, ages, genders, disabilities, sexual orientations, and social statuses.