Issue 18 Theme

Der Greif has invited Hank Willis Thomas, supported by Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung, to guest-edit Issue 18.

The theme for the open call: “Tomorrow is Today.”

What if tomorrow were already here? What if today was our last chance to choose love over hate, action over apathy, community over chaos?

We invite you as image makers, visual storytellers, and artists to respond to the fierce urgency of now. Inspired by the final published words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., this open call asks: Can we live the future we hope for – today?

Tomorrow is Today – Curatorial statement by Hank Willis Thomas.

“The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. History is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals who pursued this self-defeating path of hate. As Arnold Toynbee once said in a speech: “Love is the ultimate force that makes for the saving choice of life and good against the damning choice of death and evil. Therefore the first hope in our inventory must be the hope that love is going to have the last word.”

We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity. The “tide in the affairs of men” does not remain at the flood; it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: “Too late.” There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. “The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on...” We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coanni-hilation. This may well be mankind’s last chance to choose between chaos and community.”

This is a call for meditations on this quote Martin Luther King excerpt from “Where Do We Go From Here? Chao’s or Community” originally published in 1967, part of the last words King published in his lifetime.

Can we imagine a tomorrow rooted in today that inspires a brighter day. Calling us to imagine if tomorrow is today that we should be acting today and living today in the tomorrow we want to imagine.

What does it mean to live as if the future is already here? Can love have the last word?

Hank Willis Thomas

Hank Willis Thomas (b. 1976, Plainfield, NJ) is a Brooklyn-based conceptual artist who interrogates how mass media, advertising, and popular culture construct—and constrict—our understandings of race, identity, and history. Moving fluently among photography, sculpture, installation, and large-scale public works, he “frames” familiar images so viewers must confront what is shown, omitted, and assumed. Signature projects such as B®anded and Unbranded strip corporate logos and slogans from ads to reveal the racial and economic myths beneath, while his retro-reflective panels use flash photography to expose hidden protest narratives and remind us that truth shifts with perspective. Thomas’s most visible public commission, The Embrace (2023) on Boston Common, monumentalizes a 1964 hug between Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., turning an intimate gesture into a collective meditation on love and justice.

Thomas co-founded the activist platform For Freedoms and the participatory projects Question Bridge: Black Males and In Search of The Truth (The Truth Booth). His work resides in major collections from the Guggenheim and Whitney to the V&A, and he has mounted solo shows at institutions such as the International Center of Photography, Crystal Bridges, and Henry Art Gallery. Honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the U.S. State Department Medal of Arts (2023), and the Aspen Institute’s 2024 Harman/Eisner Artist-in-Residence. Thomas earned a BFA from NYU (1998), an MA/MFA from California College of the Arts (2004), and several honorary doctorates, underscoring his role as both cultural critic and civic voice.

Why submit to Issue 18?

• Have your work seen by renowned artist Hank Willis Thomas.

• Get the chance to be published in Issue 18 and get a free copy plus additional copies at a highly discounted rate.

• Be part of related events Der Greif will organize in relation to the release of Issue 18 during Paris Photo 2025 and beyond.

• Get the chance to publish an Artist Feature on dergreif.org, a highly-frequented international source of photographic art.

Voluntary Donation

Der Greif is a registered non-profit. In these challenging economic times – especially for arts organizations and artists – we are convinced to provide a vital platform for our community. If you're in the position to support this mission, we value your support.

Since launching Guest Room in January 2015, we've invited a broad range of professionals (gallerists, editors, curators) to create opportunities for artists to share their work and get it in front of an international network they might not have access to otherwise. We are more commited than ever to continue this work.

We suggest a voluntary 13€ donation to help us sustain these efforts. If you'd like to support us further, we also accept regular donations via our Raisely page.

If you're unable to contribute financially, please email voucher-print@dergreif.org to receive a 50% or 100% discount code. Your artistic and financial contributions enable our continued growth.

About Der Greif

Der Greif is an award-winning organization for contemporary photography.

We unite diverse voices in the arts, providing a vital platform for talent at early stages in their career. Through monthly grants, a vibrant community, and increasing visibility, we create a springboard for emerging artists, image makers, and photographers, guiding their path into the art world.

Our initiatives are uniquely rooted in crowdsourcing. This consistent approach enables genuine participation for young artists who often lack the resources to join competitions, festivals, and exhibitions or to travel and expand their network.

With our accessible formats and global network, we're democratizing the art world. Our collaborators – guest curators, grant recipients, and featured artists – are among contemporary photography's most significant voices.

Since issue No. 10, Der Greif's annual print edition has been guest-edited by leading contemporary artists, including Jason Fulford, Broomberg & Chanarin, Penelope Umbrico, Sylvie Fleury, Shirin Neshat, and Torbjørn Rødland.

Der Greif collaborates with renowned cultural institutions worldwide, realizing projects with C/O Berlin, Pinakothek der Moderne, Haus der Kunst, Münchner Kammerspiele, FOAM, the Aperture Foundation, Fotomuseum Winterthur, and many others.

About Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung

The Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung is a non-profit foundation based in Munich that supports contemporary art and science. It was established in December 2000 by the entrepreneur Alexander Tutsek and Dr. Eva-Maria Fahrner-Tutsek to share responsibility for the cultural foundations of our society. The foundation’s vision is a vibrant world of art and science that drives social progress and contributes to a successful human coexistence. With its commitment and its funding projects, it focuses in particular on neglected, overlooked or even special and particular areas in art and science, and aims to strengthen them sustainably.

A central concern of the promotion of young talent in the arts funding area is to improve the training opportunities for artists working in the foundation’s focus areas. To this end, in addition to student exhibition projects, productions of elaborate works of art are also financed. Together with universities, glass schools and academies, the foundation also works on the further development of training programs and supports the acquisition of adequate technical equipment.