For artists working with Textile in Art, Design, Crafts, Jewelry, Fashion, Object, Toy, Photography, Collage.

APPLY BY 27 SEPTEMBER 2026!

ARACHNE'S LEGACY celebrates textiles in many forms, including tapestry, embroidery, jewelry, object, toys, fashion, and collage.

The multidisciplinary exhibition project takes place 24 + 25 October 2026 at SMCK Art Space, in the context of the European Textile Network (ETN) 2026 Athens Conference. The exhibition presents international artists working across the fields of art, design, crafts, photography, photomontage, and science. Through their practice, participants create, use or redefine textiles as a medium, while challenging dominant gender and authority narratives.

The Greek Myth

The myth of Arachne reflects how practices found in nature—birds making their nests or spiders weaving their webs—fueled human inventiveness while underlining the bonds between all creatures. The myth also distinguishes profane from sacred textiles and emphasizes archaic concepts, such as the hubris of profaning divine materials.

The project includes

I. Exhibition of the submitted objects or photographs at SMCK Art Space Athen. The exhibition is part of the ETN 2026 Athens Conference program.

II. Promotion: The exhibition project includes professional Press and PR work, as well as Social media promotion and networking.

III. Catalogue: The participant’s works will be presented in SMCK Magazine issue 14 (February 2027). The digital magazine will be accessible worldwide at no cost, and distributed through the SMCK network. The print magazine can be ordered through our print partner MagCloud.

IV. Photo & video documentation: The exhibition event will be documented on video.

V. Video screening: The video documentation will be screened as part of a SMCK documentary film during the SMCK ON REEL video festival at Munich’s international SCHMUCK Jewelry Week in March 2027.

APPLICATION

Who can apply?

Visual artists, textile artists, jewelry artists, fashion designers, performers, photographers, interdisciplinary artists, paper artists who feel addressed by the issues the myth of Arachne raises. 

Object or Photography

Participants may choose between sending two options:

OPTION I – Original object(s):
Maximum four objects to be presented in the exhibition space

OR

OPTION II – Digital photo:
Photo composition, collage, photomontage, drawing, assemblage, mixed-media, etc. of object(s) created by the artist which transports a personal narrative. The photos will be printed and displayed in the exhibition space. Image specifications: The image must be in vertical format. Download the canvas size and technical details >> here.

How to apply

Send us a cover letter, a weblink and/or 1–6 images of the object(s) you propose (OPTION I – one image required), and your artist statement, until 27 September 2026. Applicants receive a detailed project agreement. Applications will be reviewed immediately.

Include your personal information (name, address, website, instagram and social media links), and send your application via email to magazine@smck.org, or via WeTransfer if the file size is larger than 15 MB.

Participation fee

Object(s): Selected artists pay a fee of 180,00 EUR in one or two installments.
Photography: Selected artists pay a fee of 120,00 EUR in one installment.

Exhibition venue

SMCK Art Space is SMCK Magazine’s Athens art venue. It is located in downtown Athens, in the emerging artists’ neighborhood of Kolonos, near Kapnergostasio, the former Public Tobacco Factory of the Hellenic Parliament.