We are pleased to announce the open call for Artist-in-Residence-Entries for the upcoming 4th edition of FMR – Festival for art in digital context and public spaces which will take place in Linz, Austria, from June 3 to 7, 2026.

FMR – Festival for Art in Digital Contexts and Public Spaces is a biennial festival showcasing artistic processes and positions that reflect the ephemeral nature of our digitally connected present. The continuous digitalization of everyday life creates an intense overlap and layering of familiar physical and intricately interwoven digital spaces. FMR focuses on the shifts, distortions, and rifts that arise in this process and presents contemporary artistic perspectives in this context.

The festival, whose title alludes to ephemerality and transience, presents works whose initial ideas originate in virtual-digital spaces or have a strong connection to it but are displayed — sometimes in a transformed manner — in physical surroundings, specifically in the public and open space. The emphasis is on the interstitial spaces that emerge during these transformations — outside of museums, galleries, or conventional art spaces. At the same time, FMR seeks to update the concept of sculpture for the contemporary era while reflecting on questions of transience, ephemerality and obviousness.

A prolog to FMR 26 will take place on June 6, 2025, during which the selected works from this Open Call will be presented in an early-stage form on-site in Linz.

FMR 26 itself will take place from June 3 to 7, 2026, around the Schlossberg in Linz, covering the eastern foothills of the Römerberg, the streets surrounding the Linzer Schloss (Linz Castle), and selected uphill road sections. The Schlossberg is also home to the Schlossmuseum Linz, Friedrichstor, Rudolfstor, Schlossbergstollen, Rosengarten, Keplerwiese, and Martinskirche. Beyond its historical and cultural significance, the Schlossberg is also a central yet idyllic recreational area offering impressive views of Linz.

The upcoming 4th edition of the festival will focus on four themes:

1. Digital Afterlife and Immortality
#digital-afterlife #digital-immortality #memory-in-digital-age #digital-footprints
The digital age is fundamentally reshaping our perceptions of death, memory, and immortality. What new forms of commemoration and remembrance emerge through digital archives? What ethical challenges does the notion of digital immortality pose? Can the digital preservation of emotional experiences maintain or distort the authenticity of memories? Additionally, reflections should consider the traces our digital lives leave behind and how they might be interpreted in the future. The ecological sustainability of digital artworks is also a critical concern.

2. Future Archaeology and Digital Artifacts
#future-archaeology #digital-civilization #digital-artifacts #data-remnants
How will future archaeologists reconstruct our present-day digital civilization? What role do digital artifacts play in shaping history and identity? How can we address the transience of digital cultures? What ethical questions arise in dealing with data remnants? Who owns the digital traces of the past, and what responsibility do we have toward future generations in preserving this information?

3. Digital Deceleration, Isolation, and the New Idyll
#waldeinsamkeit #newidyll #simple-living #isolation #disconnected #non-digital-leisure #AIdetox
Our era is defined by contrasts. While digital technologies increasingly permeate our lives, the desire for deceleration, simplicity, and disconnection is growing. How can digital art depict or even reinforce the longing for solitude in nature and new idyllic spaces? Can a simple lifestyle be promoted in a networked world? Is the conscious renunciation of digital media a new form of luxury? What artistic approaches can help raise awareness of the necessity of taking breaks from artificial intelligence?

4. AI Societies, Power Structures, and Resistance
#AIciety #cyberocracy #algocracy #socialmachine #singularity #resisting-AI
The increasing fusion of society and artificial intelligence raises fundamental questions: How do algorithms influence democratic decision-making processes and power structures? What new forms of coexistence emerge in a society governed by AI? Will singularity mark the end or a new beginning for humanity? What forms of resistance are necessary to preserve human autonomy against an overpowering AI?

The residency will take place in two phases. By applying to FM[Ai]R 26, you are applying for both residencies. The exact duration and days of the two residencies have to be negotiated.

First residency:
→ Preparation, presentation and discussion of the concept
→ Early-stage materialisation on site as part of FMR 26 Prolog (6 June, 2025)
→ Residency duration: Up to one week between June 2 and June 8, 2025 (in exceptional cases, an online residency may be considered)
→ Artist grant: 450 Euros

Second residency:
→ Production of the work
→ Final materialisation on site as part of FMR 26 Festival (3 – 7 June, 2026)
→ Residency duration: Up to one month in February or March 2026
→ Artist grant: 900 Euros

The following conditions apply to both residencies:
→ Application deadline: April 10, 2025, 24:00 CET
→ Jury decision: Mid-April 2025
→ Production budget: Up to 1.500 Euros for both residencies (reimbursement based on receipts/invoices)
→ Travel expenses: Up to 450 Euros per residency (reimbursement based on receipts/invoices)
→ Free use of a studio and accommodation at Atelierhaus Salzamt during each residency
→ Free access to host facilities and various workshops at the Art University Linz
→ Curatorial support during the residency
→ Professional presentation, exhibition and artist talk during both the FMR 26 Prolog in June 2025 and the FMR 26 Festival in June 2026

Artists from all disciplines, backgrounds, and nationalities are invited to apply for FM[Ai]R 26. A jury will review the applications and select the successful candidates.

Applicants must:
→ Engage with the festival’s mission and themes, and create a new work or further develop an existing project, offering innovative and experimental perspectives.
→ Demonstrate an openness to collaboration with the festival team.
→ Be available during the residencies for FMR 26 Prolog (online residency may be considered in exceptional cases) and FMR 26 Festival (on-site residency required).
→ For more complex works: Be present during the final days leading up to the FMR 26 Festival to assist in setting up the work.
→ Speak English fluently and be willing to interact with the local art community and festival team.

We encourage applications from women, LGBTIQ+ artists, members of ethnic, racial, or cultural minority groups, and those from otherwise underrepresented backgrounds.

In order to apply for FM[Ai]R 26, you need to fill out the application form at tripetto.app/run/WG3267756I.

Submission requirements (in English or German) include:
→ Short biography (max. 1,500 characters)
→ Statement of motivation for the residency (max. 1,500 characters)
→ Availability for residencies and festival participation
→ Project details (title, keywords, description, technical and spatial requirements ...)
→ Technical and spatial requirements
→ Detailed project proposal outlining the idea, its connection to the themes, and the plan for realization (when designing the proposed work, please keep in mind that the majority of the festival takes place in public space – your submission must clearly demonstrate that the work can be realized outdoors)
→ Portfolio including biography, selected projects, and recent exhibitions

Applicants will be informed of the jury’s decision in mid-April 2025 via an automated email. We appreciate your understanding that jury decisions are final and no comments will be provided. If your application is not selected, we encourage you to apply for the next FMR edition in 2028!