About

The winter holiday season brings the concept of family into sharp focus. Around kitchen tables, over shared meals, and across digital screens, we gather to perform long-held traditions and invent new ones. At the center of these gatherings sits the family photo, witnessing our connections, expectations, and evolving bonds.

This edition of Der Greif Pulse invites lens-based artists to explore "The Family Photo." Together, we are looking beyond the traditional family portrait to examine family relationships in all their complexity. This call addresses family in every form, whether through bloodline, heritage, or chosen community. We encourage works that explore the performance of familial roles and challenge the deliberate choices behind what gets preserved in the album versus what remains unrecorded.

We invite photographic and video submissions that interrogate the domestic sphere, chosen families, intimate rituals, and the unseen dynamics of belonging. From vernacular archive interventions and intimate documentary projects to staged visual narratives and conceptual studies of shared memory, show us what "the family photo" means today.

WHY SUBMIT?

Selected artists will receive:

• Online exhibition on Der Greif’s Pulse section
• Participation in an online roundtable critique session with peers, facilitated by Der Greif staff
• Visibility within Der Greif’s international community

Selected artists may also be invited to submit their portfolio to Der Greif Studio, creating pathways to artwork sales and commissions.

SELECTION & JURY

Selection is based on:

• Artistic quality
• Conceptual clarity
• Openness to dialogue and process
• Engagement with themes of identity and community

Voluntary Donation

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

Since launching our platform in 2008, 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 committed than ever to continue this work.

We suggest a voluntary 10€ 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-special-2@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. It is print-publication, online-publication, curatorial team and joint project all at once. Der Greif connects the digital and the analogue, exploring and expanding the borders and limits of image-distribution and -reception in the digital era.