What VISIT provides
Mensch Maschine 2026: Mechanic Ghosts and Entangled Realities
The relationship between “natural” life and machines is complex and entangled, and has been the subject of art and artistic practice since the beginning of the modern Anthropocene. However, this relationship has been appropriated by the accelerated development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, extractivist ideologies, and hypercapitalism.
The Mensch Maschine programme seeks to return to an idea of intelligence, both human and “natural” in the arts, that allows us to explore technological future scenarios from an ecological perspective that places the planet at the center. In this context, AI is not considered artificial or intelligent, but rather as Scholar Kate Crawford suggests “both embodied and material, made from natural resources, fuels, human labor, infrastructure, logistics, history, and classifications” (2021, Crawford).
The call for proposals is aimed in particular at projects at the intersection of art, energy and ecology, which integrate realities, stories, histories, and myths from Europe and around the world, that address the social, political, natural, and cultural challenges of our time. How can we acknowledge and integrate the ghosts and ruins of our petro-cultural history in order to shape a regenerative future?
Grant
Successful fellows will be endowed with EUR 20,000. This grant is intended to be put towards production costs of a new project, which may include research and development, travel, material and presentation costs.
Studio
Selected artists will have a studio space at E-WERK Luckenwalde or at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin between April - June 2026. During these three months, the fellows are expected to be living and working in the studios for at least 75 % of the time.
Artistic Programme & Autumn School
Joint events will be planned at the Akademie der Künste and E-WERK with Open Studios and Retreats. In 2026, the focus of the public programme lies on a two-part transdisciplinary autumn school with a study group and invited experts taking place between Sept 1- 5 2026. Fellows will participate in the school at E-WERK as well as the second public part at Akademie der Künste.
New Partner: Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle
Starting in 2026, the Mensch Maschine programme will welcome the Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle as a new European partner. Exchange residencies and joint public programme formats are planned. The aim of this partnership is to broaden public debate in Europe and to bring together Polish, cultural, and regional perspectives with new networks of artists and thinkers.
For many years, U–jazdowski has run an internationally recognized artist-in-residence programme, along with exhibitions and discourse formats in the field of contemporary and transdisciplinary art. The residency programme currently serves as a space for reflecting on coexistence, collaboration, and the relationship between humans and the non-human and posthuman world in the face of crises. Future projects will revolve around questions concerning possible strategies of coexistence and regeneration.
Programme
- April-June 2026: Residency time at E-WERK or Akademie der Künste
- Spring 2026: Open Studios at E-WERK & Akademie der Künste
- Summer 2026: Network Meeting Warsaw
- Autumn 2026: Autumn School & public programme
Timeline
- 22 September 2025: Open Call Opens
- 16 November 2025: Call Closes
- 8-10 December 2025: Jury Meeting
- Mid December 2026: Applicants informed
- January: Successful applicant conversations
Artists of all disciplines are eligible to apply, with ideas focused on the conceptual theme of Mechanic Ghosts and Entangled Realities. For the new call, artists with a focus on sound, performance, film, and literature/poetry are particularly encouraged to apply
Artists can apply online from September 22, 2025 for the 2026 funding round. The application deadline is November 16.