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Hong Kong

200 Years of Photography
 Images, Representation and AI

200 years ago, reality found a new form in France: a lasting photographic image. Since then, photography has profoundly shaped how societies document, interpret and trust the world around them. From its early claims to objectivity to its mass dissemination through modern media, photography has oscillated between evidence and illusion. Emergence of artificial intelligence marks another decisive shift: images can now be generated without a physical referent, challenging long-held assumptions about authenticity, truth, and visual authority. Century‑old questions around photography persist, yet they take on new connotations in the era of AI: What does a photograph mean when anyone can fabricate one? Who gets to decide what is real? What happens to trust when disinformation travels faster than the truth?

This open call invites photographers, artists, journalists, students, and curious practitioners to join a week of intensive workshop, where you will work closely with international and Hong Kong artists and experts and explore the intersection of images, representations and AI.

Successful applicants will join one of three workshops. The outcomes of all workshops will later be presented publicly in a showcase at the Goethe‑Institut. Participation in the symposium is warmly encouraged, though it is not a prerequisite for the Open Call. You may apply for one or more workshops; however, if you apply for two or all three, the selection committee will make the final decision and assign you to one of the workshops.

Apply Now!

About the Project

The Goethe-Institut Hongkong and the French Consulate of Hong Kong are excited to partner with the School of Creative Media of the City University of Hong Kong for the project “200 Years of Photography: Images, Representation and AI”, supported by the Franco-German Cultural Fund.

The programme combines three small, intensive workshops with internationally acclaimed mentors, a public showcase of the work-in-progress and conceptual sketches produced during the workshop, and a symposium that opens the conversation to the wider public on an academic level. It is a space for making, thinking, and debating - and for meeting people who take images seriously.

The Workshops

The project is structured around two days of virtual preparation sessions with your mentor, followed by three full days in-person workshop in Hong Kong. Led by two artists and experts from France and Germany and a Hong Kong expert, the workshops will offer complementary approaches to photography: from artistic experimentation to photojournalistic practice.

Instructors

Exhibition and Symposium

Work produced during the workshops, such as experiments, sketches, short films, and ideas in progress, will go on public display at the Goethe-Gallery, Goethe-Institut Hongkong in Wanchai, opening on the evening of 12 October. This will be a live snapshot of a week’s thinking: raw, generative, and open to interpretation.

On 13 October, a public symposium at City University of Hong Kong brings the conversation to a wider audience. The symposium will bring together artists, journalists, scholars and experts to address the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and disinformation in contemporary image cultures, fostering dialogue between professional practice, academia, emerging voices, and the wider public. 

Schedule

September / October – Online Preparation Sessions
Two virtual sessions with the workshop mentors – an introduction to themes, methods
Dates will be confirmed by the mentors of the workshops

9-11 October – In-Person Workshops
Three intensive workshop days in Hong Kong

12 October – Exhibition Opening
Public showcase of the outcome developed during the workshops at the Goethe-Gallery

13 October – Symposium
Public academic symposium at the City University of Hong Kong

Who Should Apply

Applications are welcome from:
  • Students in photography, journalism, or related fields
  • Early-career practitioners and young professionals working with images in any context
  • Anyone with a strong interest and some experience in the intersection of photography, AI, and visual culture
Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
Only individual applications will be accepted.

All participants are expected to join the virtual preparation sessions, attend the full three-day in-person workshop, and be present at the exhibition opening on 12 October. Attendance at the symposium on 13 October is strongly encouraged.

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