Open Call for Applications:

Exhibition Project — Sex and Politics

An independent exhibition in Paris, running parallel to Paris Photo, the most important photography fair in the world.

‍Deadline: October 1, 2025‍
‍Exhibition Dates: November 13–16, 2025
Participation in the open call is free of charge.

Exhibition Concept

Art-Icon, a non-profit organization supporting new voices in contemporary visual art, invites photographers and artists to apply for the international exhibition Sex and Politics, which will take place in Paris alongside Paris Photo.

The exhibition explores how sexuality functions as a political arena — not only through representation, desire, and freedom, but also in relation to social control, commodification, and ideological power. Photography, as a medium of exposure and circulation of images, plays a crucial role in shaping the public imagination of sexuality.

We are seeking works that investigate the boundaries between private and public, intimacy and ideology, liberation and commodification. From documentary and activist photography to staged, conceptual, or digital practices (including selfies, screenshots, and works related to online platforms), the exhibition aims to reflect the tensions at the intersection of sexuality and politics.

Theoretical Framework

As Slavoj Žižek writes in The Plague of Fantasies:

“Sexuality is not simply a matter of private pleasure or personal freedom — it is an arena where ideological assumptions, social hierarchies, and symbolic power are negotiated… The liberation of sexual desire can thus never be straightforwardly opposed to politics — it is always already implicated in the larger political and ideological systems that govern society.”

This paradox — between liberation and control, between freedom and commodification — forms the core of the Sex and Politics project.

Participation & Submission Guidelines

‍Who can apply:
Photographers and visual artists of any age, background, or experience level.

‍What we’re looking for:
– Works that explore sexuality as a political space
– Projects engaging with the digital sphere (selfies, screenshots, online representation)
– Images critically reflecting on eroticism, desire, and intimacy within social and ideological structures

‍Technical guidelines:
– Up to 6 low-resolution images, attached directly to your email
(please do not use WeTransfer, Google Drive, or similar services)

‍Financial conditions:
Participation in the open call is free of charge.
If selected, artists are responsible for the production of their works (printing and framing according to agreed specifications). The organizers provide the exhibition venue and full curatorial support.

‍How to apply:
Send your submission to danila_tkachenko@art-icon.org
Subject line: "Open Call Paris 2025 – Sex and Politics"