About the project
In many countries, a profound authoritarian shift is underway. Fundamental values, historical narratives, and especially archives - spaces that preserve cultural memory, resistant knowledge, and alternative perspectives - are increasingly under pressure. Materials that challenge these political transformations are being censored, reinterpreted, or erased.
While this process is already advanced in some regions, others have long felt protected - trusting in supposedly safe spaces. Yet it is becoming increasingly clear that even these "safe spaces" are not immune to external influence or political appropriation.
FILE NOT FOUND responds to this moment by initiating a transnational exchange between those already affected, those operating in a grey zone, and those who have so far felt secure. It invites participants to develop, test, and present - or deliberately conceal - artistic and utopian counter‑strategies.
The resulting works may be subversive or activist, as well as research‑driven or academically grounded. They move between visibility and encryption, between disclosure and concealment - opening up new spaces for strategies of resilience.
It begins with an international meeting in March 2026 that brings together professionals working with archives in diverse political and cultural contexts. This gathering serves as a shared space for identifying common challenges, discussing risks, exchanging experiences, and exploring strategies for resilient and responsible archival practices. Through dialogue, workshops, and collaborative sessions, participants establish a common foundation that informs all subsequent activities.
RESIDENCIES
In the next phase, from July 2026 to March 2027, artists embark on in‑person residencies with partner archives in several countries. Ten artists work closely with ten cultural archives, each residency shaped by the specific realities, vulnerabilities, and questions present in the respective institutions. These collaborations allow artists and archivists to develop creative approaches that strengthen archives facing external pressures, whether these take the form of new artistic narratives, conceptual experiments, or protective strategies that operate between visibility and discretion.
EXHIBITION
The project concludes in October 2027 with a public exhibition and an accompanying publication. The exhibition presents the results of the residencies—sometimes openly, sometimes in more concealed or encoded forms, depending on the sensitivity of the material. The publication gathers the insights, methodologies, and reflections that emerged throughout the project. Together, they serve as a long‑term resource and an invitation to continue strengthening cultural memory, safeguarding archives, and supporting democratic values in a time of increasing uncertainty.
FILE NOT FOUND is an international initiative led by the Goethe-Institut, in partnership with documenta, Arsenal Filminstitut, arquivo.pt, and organized by the Goethe-Institut Portugal, Amsterdam and Washington, in collaboration with Gerador.
While this process is already advanced in some regions, others have long felt protected - trusting in supposedly safe spaces. Yet it is becoming increasingly clear that even these "safe spaces" are not immune to external influence or political appropriation.
FILE NOT FOUND responds to this moment by initiating a transnational exchange between those already affected, those operating in a grey zone, and those who have so far felt secure. It invites participants to develop, test, and present - or deliberately conceal - artistic and utopian counter‑strategies.
The resulting works may be subversive or activist, as well as research‑driven or academically grounded. They move between visibility and encryption, between disclosure and concealment - opening up new spaces for strategies of resilience.
Timeline
RETREATIt begins with an international meeting in March 2026 that brings together professionals working with archives in diverse political and cultural contexts. This gathering serves as a shared space for identifying common challenges, discussing risks, exchanging experiences, and exploring strategies for resilient and responsible archival practices. Through dialogue, workshops, and collaborative sessions, participants establish a common foundation that informs all subsequent activities.
RESIDENCIES
In the next phase, from July 2026 to March 2027, artists embark on in‑person residencies with partner archives in several countries. Ten artists work closely with ten cultural archives, each residency shaped by the specific realities, vulnerabilities, and questions present in the respective institutions. These collaborations allow artists and archivists to develop creative approaches that strengthen archives facing external pressures, whether these take the form of new artistic narratives, conceptual experiments, or protective strategies that operate between visibility and discretion.
EXHIBITION
The project concludes in October 2027 with a public exhibition and an accompanying publication. The exhibition presents the results of the residencies—sometimes openly, sometimes in more concealed or encoded forms, depending on the sensitivity of the material. The publication gathers the insights, methodologies, and reflections that emerged throughout the project. Together, they serve as a long‑term resource and an invitation to continue strengthening cultural memory, safeguarding archives, and supporting democratic values in a time of increasing uncertainty.
FILE NOT FOUND is an international initiative led by the Goethe-Institut, in partnership with documenta, Arsenal Filminstitut, arquivo.pt, and organized by the Goethe-Institut Portugal, Amsterdam and Washington, in collaboration with Gerador.
Contact
You want to get in touch with us?For general inquiries about the project FILE NOT FOUND please contact:
Goethe-Institut Portugal
E-Mail: filenotfound@goethe.de