Passage Art-Residency-Programme 2026

The Passage Art-Residency-Programme is run by Polygona Kunstverein e.V., a Wittenberg-based art association, as part of the KOBRA Cultural Network Wittenberg (2025–2029). The 2026 cycle offers two four-week residency positions in October at Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany — open to photographers and filmmakers, with no upper age limit and no application fee.

Each resident receives a €5,000 grant plus four weeks of accommodation. An additional €1,000 childcare supplement is available for residents accompanied by a child — a relatively rare provision among comparable programs. Travel, local transport, materials, and living expenses beyond the grant are applicant-funded.

Applicants choose between two research contexts. Theme One is Ferropolis — the historic Zschornewitz coal power station, framed around energy history and post-industrial transformation. Theme Two is the Research Library of Reformation Studies (RFB), framed around knowledge production and visual representation in historical scientific texts. The thematic structure means the program is best suited to artists with an existing or readily adaptable interest in industrial heritage or archive-based practice.

The residency carries program obligations beyond studio work: a one-day workshop for young people, a public artist talk, and two days of contributing to documentary filming. Selected artists also submit 10 final project photographs by December 31, 2026. Applications close May 30, 2026; the jury decision is announced from June 20.