FILE NOT FOUND – Protect archives. Defend democracy. is a collaborative project bringing together archivists, artists, and scholars to develop strategies for resilient, accessible, and diverse archival practices. At its core lies a central question: How can the archive itself become a site of resistance?
Archives, as repositories of cultural memory and knowledge, are increasingly under pressure in many countries due to populist and extremist policies. Content that challenges the narratives of these policies has been censored, reinterpreted, or deleted in some regions.
FILE NOT FOUND fosters a dialogue between various international archives, some already affected by this pressure, others operating in a grey area, and some that still feel safe.
As Germany’s international cultural institute, the Goethe-Institut is committed to protecting cultural expression and enabling open, democratic discourse. FILE NOT FOUND reflects this mission by bringing together archives from different contexts to share experiences, raise awareness of threats to cultural memory, and jointly strengthen their resilience.
The international call for artists to take part in one out of ten on-site residencies as part of FILE NOT FOUND is open until June 7th.
Ten practitioners – artists, thinkers, activists, theater makers, dancers, and musicians, etc. – will be selected for residencies at ten cultural archives around the world. During their time on site, they will engage with existing archival practices, explore both safe and not-so-safe spaces, investigate traditional and experimental methods of archiving, and ideally develop artistically subversive approaches. These approaches aim to strengthen the resilience of archives against external influence, both now and in the future.
Who can apply: Artists worldwide (all disciplines)
Residency: On-site, 2 weeks to 2 months
Period: between August 2026 and May 2027
Fee: 4,000€ (2,000€ artist fee + 2,000€ production budget)
Travel & accommodation: Covered up to 2,000€ (1 person)
Outcome: Artwork + Residency Report
Exhibition: Fall 2027, BLMK Cottbus (Germany)
Application deadline: June 7th 2026, 12pm (GMT+1)
Working language: English
Closing date: June 7, 2026