PHOTO IS:RAEL invites artists to submit proposals for participation in the thematic exhibition as well as special projects at the 7th International Photography Festival, taking place in Tel Aviv in November 2019.

The International Photography Festival is Israel’s largest photography event and will be taking place in November 2019 for the seventh time. The festival has long since become an established and well-known cultural institution that welcomes thousands of visitors each year, as over 200 leading Israeli and international photographers exhibit their work over the course of two weeks. A jury of leading art experts will review the open call submissions and select the exhibiting artists.

25 artists will be chosen to exhibit their work in the festival’s thematic exhibition or as a special project within the festival. The selected artists’ works will also be published online and in the festival’s catalog. 50 additional artists will exhibit their work to an audience of professionals in a special screening event during the festival. One artist will be selected as the Jury Favorite and will be hosted in Tel Aviv during the festival.

This year’s topic will be Fantasy – Between Reality and Imagination, “All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy. What right have we then to depreciate imagination?” – Carl Jung.
In the upcoming festival, we will seek to examine the notion of fantasy through a variety of lenses and means of artistic expression. Fantasy may be seen as an illusion, something unattainable, a flight of fancy. At the same time, fantasy may be something we aspire to, dream about and do everything in our power to achieve. Fantasy is part of our everyday life, whether through our imagination or the actions we take.

Stemming from the Greek word phantazesthai, fantasy in its original sense means “to picture to oneself”. In Psychology, fantasy is a figment of one’s (conscious or subconscious) imagination and embodies our desires, hopes, anxieties or fears. In the world of literature and cinema, it is often represented by phenomena and creatures outside the scope of mundane human experience. Many fantasy stories, though not all of them, revolve around “regular” people interacting with the supernatural world. A fantastical work of art may relate to the artist’s relationship with her work or chosen medium. It may combine several elements that logically were not meant to come together. It may describe a desire for something, whether in the intimate, social or political sphere.

It may represent a personal goal, or a daydream. What is a fantasy to you? What is your fantasy? Would you like to achieve it, or is it better left unattained? How is it expressed in your art?
Photographers as well as video, performance and interdisciplinary artists from around the world and at different stages of their career are all welcome to submit their existing works, or proposals for new work on the topic.

Submission deadline: 22.5.2019. More information please see.
Submission fee: 15$, including a free entry ticket to the Photography Festival for all submitting artists.

PHOTO IS:RAEL is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering dialogue via research and the highlighting of artistic and social issues through the language of photography.

www.photoisrael.org