That Fateful Night
Dreams, Departures, and What Sank with Them
Exhibition & Live Program
The Ballery, Berlin
Opening: April 14, 2026
Exhibition run: April 14 – May 2, 2026
On the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic sank into the North Atlantic.
What disappeared was not only a ship and its passengers, but also their dreams, stories, music, jewels, artworks, letters, futures — and the belief that the journey was guaranteed to end in arrival.
That Fateful Night is not an exhibition about the Titanic itself, but about what the great voyage represents:
the journey toward a dream, toward home, toward love, toward the unknown — and what remains when certainty collapses.
CURATORIAL FOCUS
The exhibition explores ships as symbols:
vessels of hope, progress, escape, desire, and belief in modernity.
We are particularly interested in works that engage with ships and the sea alongside decay rust, erosion, fragmentation, abandonment, and the slow passage of time. Not the spectacle of disaster, but its aftermath. Not the moment of sinking, but what lingers, corrodes, and survives.
Themes include:
- departure and arrival
- ships and vessels as symbols
- migration, exile, and belonging
- luxury and fragility
- wreckage, abandonment, and ruins
- decay, corrosion, and erosion
- the sea as memory, absence, and horizon
- dreams that never reached their destination
We are seeking works that approach these ideas poetically, emotionally, and conceptually, rather than literally or illustratively.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We welcome submissions from:
- visual artists (painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, installation, objects)
- performance artists
- musicians and sound artists
- dancers and choreographers
- writers and spoken word artists
- interdisciplinary practitioners
Artists based in Berlin are especially encouraged to apply. International artists may apply for participation in the livestream or digital program.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- Existing works or new proposals
- Works that include ships, maritime imagery, or nautical objects or that respond to decay, ruin, and time
- Performances that can take place on the opening night or during the exhibition period
- Works that may be fragile, ephemeral, time-based, unfinished, or intentionally altered over the course of the exhibition
This is a collective project. We are especially interested in artists open to dialogue, collaboration, and shared presence.
OPENING NIGHT & LIVESTREAM
The exhibition opens on April 14, 2026, with a live event at The Ballery that will be livestreamed internationally.
Guests at the venue and viewers around the world will be invited to unite in a moment of remembrance, listening, and reflection, commemorating that fateful night and the dreams bound to it.
Selected performance artists may be invited to contribute to this opening program.
WHAT WE OFFER
- Exhibition and/or performance presentation at The Ballery
- Participation in a curated collective exhibition
- International visibility through livestream and press outreach
- Inclusion in the founding moments of a new Ballery Art Collective
- Exhibition documentation
- Artist have the potential to sell their works under the guidance of The Ballery
HOW TO APPLY
Please send:
- A short introduction
- Images, links, or documentation of the proposed work
- Indication of whether the work is visual, performative, or both
- Your location and availability during the exhibition period
Submissions to: theballery@gmail.com
Deadline: March 1st, 2026
That Fateful Night is an invitation to reflect on what we carry when we believe in arrival and what remains when the voyage does not end as promised.
We look forward to your proposals.
—
The Ballery, Berlin
Curated by Simon Williams
PENIS
Exhibition at The Ballery, Berlin
Opening 9 May 2026
Submission deadline 1 April 2026
Exhibition run: May 09 – May 30, 2026
The Ballery invites Berlin-based visual artists to submit works for PENIS, an explicit group exhibition presenting artworks that place the penis at the center of the work.
Artists working in all visual art disciplines are welcome to apply, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, installation, video, performance documentation, digital works, and mixed media.
The exhibition is explicit and does not shy away from direct representation. At the same time, the approach is completely open. Works may be figurative or abstract, erotic or analytical, humorous or severe, symbolic or literal, personal or political.
This is not a pornography exhibition. It is an art exhibition concerned with visibility, bodies, representation, power, and intimacy.
The open call is addressed to Berlin-based artists of all genders and identities, both emerging and established.
Submissions should include up to five images or documentation of the proposed work, along with the title, medium, dimensions, and year of the work. Please also include a short description of the work of no more than 150 words, as well as your name, Berlin studio location, and contact details.
The submission deadline is 1 April 2026. Selected artists will be notified shortly after the deadline. The exhibition opens on 9 May 2026 at The Ballery.