Roznama 10 – Staying with the Crisis

Application deadline: 15 May 2026

Application deadline: 15 May 2026

Roznama 10 is a studio program, exhibition, and competition. Participating artists will develop works throughout the period of 6 months, which will include studio practice, workshops, reading sessions, group crits, as well as public and semi-public events. The program will conclude with a group exhibition of works by the participating artists, nominated for a range of awards, including cash prizes, art residencies, and other opportunities.

Roznama 10 positions itself as a site of interdisciplinary exchange and creative inquiry, where lived experience and situated knowledge inform artistic and research practices that critically engage the conditions under which we labor, survive, and make meaning in different fields of contemporary cultural practices.

How do we understand art? How do we function within its political economy? How can we respond from our position during moments of polycrisis? To respond to these questions, we invite participants in contemporary art fields to apply, including artists, curators, programmers, writers, editors, and anyone engaged in contemporary cultural work.

Roznama Exhibition and Competition

Since 2006, Roznama has been organized by Medrar for Contemporary Art as a competition and exhibition for contemporary visual art. The competition aims to encourage creative contemporary practices of young artists by highlighting and awarding the outstanding, genuine works, beyond their discipline or medium.

Roznama Studio Program

Medrar for Contemporary Art initiated the first edition of Roznama Studio Program in 2018, followed by a second edition in 2019. The program was conceived as a long-term, intensive format to support contemporary visual practices among emerging Egyptian artists. Grounded in a critical and theoretical framework, the program seeks to foster conditions for more sustainable artistic production within local contexts.

Who can apply?

Roznama 10 is intended for early-career artists, researchers, and cultural practitioners. “Early-career” refers to individuals who have established an independent practice and are in a phase of active development, beyond the initial stages of their careers, yet not fully established. Typically, this includes those with 2–10 years of professional experience following their artistic or academic education. This range is indicative rather than prescriptive, and age is not a determining factor.

Applications should articulate the applicant’s current stage of professional or artistic development and demonstrate why participating in the Roznama 10 – Staying with the Crisis is especially timely and relevant for their current practices.

Collectives of up to two people may apply, provided they have been working together artistically for at least three years.

The working languages of the program are Arabic and English, and applicants should be proficient in at least one of them.

Applicants must be based in Cairo at the time of application. The call is open to Egyptian and Arab nationals whose practice or research demonstrates a clear and direct engagement with the proposed theme.

Program Structure: Core Program + Parallel Tracks

The program spans six months starting in June 2026. Recognizing the importance of a space to gather all participants throughout its duration, it provides a workspace (studios) for all participants.

The program is shaped by a Core Program that engages with the conditions under which artistic practice takes place. It foregrounds the tension between art as entertainment and art as a political form, interrogating the boundaries of what counts as responsive practice and what trivializes the gravity of the present. At the same time, it positions art as a site of documentation and reflection, through which specific historical moments are registered and reworked to reframe responsibility within artistic practice. These concerns unfold alongside an attention to the affective and ethical weight of practicing under conditions of guilt, and to the question of whether artistic production should be suspended when deemed non-essential, or whether its necessity persists, if not intensifies, precisely in moments of crisis.

Responding/Practicing Within Crisis

– What does it mean to work within crisis rather than simply react to it?

– How does crisis shape methods, pace, and expectations of practice?

– Can practice exist outside the pressure to respond?

The Parallel Tracks will take the form of labs, workshops, and seminars led by invited guests. Some of these will be open calls, with the possibility for core participants to join based on their interests.

Curatorial team: Engy Mohsen and Raneem Elhaddad

Contributors include Bassam El Baroni (curator), Esraa Elfeky (artist), Huda Zikry (artist and researcher), Ismail Fayed (writer, critic, and curator), Kinda Hassan (composer and artist), Mohamed Abdelkarim (visual artist, performer, and cultural producer), Nour Abuarafeh (artist), Rana Hamadeh (visual artist), Shady El Noshokaty (visual artist, educational curator, and academic professor), Yasmine El Meleegy (multidisciplinary artist), and Youssef Ragheb (artist and educator).

Further contributors will be invited throughout the program, and additional parallel tracks will be shaped in response to the specific needs and practices of the participating artists.

Timeline

Program Timeline (June – December 2026)

Exhibition Timeline (January – February 2027)

Application process

The application will include:

1) Personal data (full name, date and place of birth, photo of ID or passport, email, phone number).

2) Brief biography specifying the applicant’s main lines of research (up to 500 characters).

3) CV (2-3 pages).

4) Project proposal, including:

• Title
• Summary of the proposal
• Motivations for joining the program
• Relationship with proposed thematic focus
• Possible ways to present the project or research publicly

5) Portfolio (up to 20 pages)

The application process includes the review of submissions by two external jury members and one member of the curatorial team, with the names of the jury to be announced alongside the results. An online Q&A session will take place on 30 April 2026.

Submission deadline and calendar

• Deadline for submission of applications: Sunday, May 15, 11:59 p.m. Cairo time
• Application form: https://forms.gle/o3rWvS8WPuSLssNf7 
• Results of the selection process: end of May 2026
• Program period: six months between June and December 2026

What does Roznama 10 offer?

• Mentorship
• Shared studio space
• Honorarium (10,000 EGP per participant)
• Peer-to-peer critique sessions
• Exchange with current and former participants
• Participation in public programs and events
• Support for local and regional networking
• A group exhibition at the end of the program
• A range of prizes: cash prizes, art residencies, and other opportunities

Commitments of Selected Participants

– To commit to the full duration of the program (June–December 2026), including approximately 1-2 days per week of planned commitments such as events, group critiques, and presentations, as well as the regular use of the studio space.
–  To develop a new or ongoing long-term project within the framework of the program.
– To propose and contribute to public formats that engage with their research and practice (workshops, film screenings, talks, or similar formats).
– To participate in an open studio and the final group exhibition, scheduled for early 2027.

Note on the use of AI:

While applicants may use AI tools for support, all submitted materials must reflect the applicant’s own ideas, voice, and critical engagement with the proposed theme. Submissions that do not clearly demonstrate original thought and authorship will not be considered.

Applications are accepted in English or Arabic (including dialects). Applicants are encouraged to write in the language and style that best reflects how they think and express themselves, as clarity of thought and authenticity of voice are central to the evaluation process.

Data Protection

Personal data submitted as part of this application will be processed by Medrar for Contemporary Art to manage participation in Roznama 10. Applicants have the right to access, correct, or delete their data, as well as to exercise other rights in accordance with applicable data protection regulations. Contact information will be retained for communication purposes related to the program.