Brazil occupies a singular place in the global imagination when it comes to the body, sexuality, and cultural expression.

Since the earliest human societies on the continent, the body has been central to forms of ritual, community, and artistic expression. From Carnival to contemporary queer culture, Brazil has long been a space where artistic experimentation, political tension, and social transformation intersect.

At a moment when debates about gender, identity, and freedom are intensifying around the world, Brazil offers a powerful context for artists working with themes of desire, intimacy, and pornography — and we are not afraid to engage in these conversations.

Festival Vórtice emerges from this cultural landscape as a platform for dialogue between local and international perspectives.

Participating artists become part of a growing international network exploring the intersections of art, sexuality, and contemporary culture.

Vórtice offers:

• one of the largest platforms in world dedicated to the theme

• dialogue between artists from different countries

• engagement with a diverse audience

• a curatorial environment open to experimental and provocative work

We are seeking artists who work with photography, digital art, and video.

All submitted digital files will be printed in high resolution in Brazil and professionally framed for the exhibition. Video works will also be presented during the exhibition.

No. All submissions go through a curatorial review process. There is no fee to submit your work; only artists whose works are selected will be required to pay a participation fee.

It is also a highly competitive process, as each year we receive more than 200 submissions from Brazilian artists alone.

Notification of approval: between April 14 and April 21

Once selected, a fee of $29, $49 or $69 is due, depending on the size of your artwork. This fee helps cover part of the production costs.

At this moment, the project does not receive external funding and is sustained through the collective support of participating artists.

The participation fee helps cover the production costs of the exhibition, including the high-resolution printing and professional framing of the selected works, as well as the general expenses required to organize and present the show, which takes place throughout the month of June.

By taking part in the project, you are not only helping make the exhibition possible, but also contributing to the promotion and visibility of artistic practices that are often marginalized and rarely given adequate spaces for presentation.

Participation in the festival does not require artists to be physically present at the exhibition or to take part in any online activities.

Artists may choose the level of involvement that best suits their circumstances, and the inclusion of works in the program is independent of attendance or participation in discussions.

The focus of the festival remains on the circulation of ideas, images, and artistic practices.

Festival Vórtice is an independent curatorial platform dedicated to contemporary artistic practices that investigate sexuality as a cultural, political, and aesthetic field.

The festival welcomes works that:

• explore desire, intimacy and erotic imagination

• question norms surrounding gender, queer culture, and identity

• address the politics of the body

• challenge moral and social boundaries

• investigate sexuality through experimental artistic languages

The project seeks to expand the space for artistic research into themes that are often marginalized, censored, or reduced to stereotypes.

• Submission deadline: April 14

• Notification of approval: between April 14– 21

• Announcement of selected artists: May 5

• VIP preview: May 29 (Friday, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM)

• Opening: May 30 (Saturday, from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM)

• Exhibition period: May 30–June 27 (Tuesday to Saturday, from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM)

• Closing party: June 27 (Saturday, from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM)