Open Call: The Breadwinner Registry – A Kinship Accord by Shif—t*

After leaving De Verffabriek, we find ourselves in a vital moment of transition. We are exploring how an artist-run space can continue to exist without a fixed location. We believe that a home does not have to be a building made of bricks, but can also be found in a moment, an encounter, or an agreement*. Currently, we are in residence at Kunsthal Gent, where we are experimenting with our potential role as a nomadic platform.

In a sector where competition is often the norm, we aim to act as a link between emerging makers and established institutions, offering a platform to underrepresented voices.

We want to break out of the bubble. While our roots lie within our own artistic circles, we actively strive for a diverse network in order to deploy our platform function as fairly and broadly as possible.

For this purpose, we are recruiting ‘co-breadwinners’, and you’re already in. Therefore this is not a traditional job vacancy. There is no hierarchy, no fixed role, no single aesthetic or discipline, no title, no predefined output and no promises. We are looking for artists, cultural workers, thinkers, organisers, designers, producers, scenographers, writers, educators, and hybrid practitioners who:

1. Want to build and maintain community

• Value long term relationships over quick wins or transactional interactions;
• Invest time in trust building, shared rituals, and collective memory;
• Show up consistently, especially when things are messy or uncertain;
• Create spaces where people feel seen, heard, and able to contribute;
• Understand that community is not a product to launch but a garden to tend;

2. Are interested in working collectively rather than competitively

• Share knowledge, resources, and opportunities openly;
• Celebrate others’ progress as fuel for the whole group;
• Approach challenges with “how can we?” instead of “who wins?”;
• Make decisions collaboratively when possible, with transparency and care;
• See collaboration as a multiplier that expands what is possible for everyone;

3. Are open to experimentation, conversation and mutual support

• Treat ideas as prototypes rather than polished monuments;
• Welcome dialogue, disagreement, and evolution of thought;
• Offer and receive feedback as a form of care;
• Embrace uncertainty as a creative laboratory rather than a threat;
• Step in to support others, and allow yourself to be supported in return;

4. Want to be part of a growing network rather than a fixed project

• Prefer ecosystems over rigid structures;
• Invite new people, perspectives, and partnerships over time;
• Allow the direction of the work to evolve organically;
• Stay flexible about roles, leadership, and contributions;
• See the network as a living organism that expands, adapts, and renews itself;

 to enter a mutual platforming agreement with the collective.

What Shif—t* offers (depending on capacities, timing, and fit):

• Invitations to collaborate in upcoming programmes; 
• Editorial support, publishing opportunities, and documentation;
• Access to a peer network built on trust, care, and shared agency;
• Visibility through Shif—t* channels (online and offline);
• Concrete co-production pathways (shared resources, shared authorship, shared credit).

*By trust we mean more than goodwill. We firmly believe in the reliability, truth and ability of one another. We see trust as something we have in common. A collective arrangement in which responsibility and resources are carried for the benefit of one another but not owned individually. 

We are building a “database” of registrations that reflects the urgencies within the sector. If these ‘abc’s’ fit your profile, we warmly invite you to apply and potentially become a part of our network. Online registration is open until the 6th of March—when it will conclude with a public moment during our residency at Kunsthal Ghent (Lange Steenstraat 14, 9000 Gent) from 18h onwards. 

Registration form