Open call for JUGAAD: Absolute Improvisation
Initiated and co-curated by SAC Art Amsterdam and Mama Magnet
Jugaad (n.): a fix, an improvised solution built from what’s on hand. Rooted in the Sanskrit yuj, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’, the word became jugāṛ in Hindi: a combination of means and materials. It took its most recognisable form in post-independence rural Punjab, where scrap metal, agricultural pumps and salvaged parts were pieced together into working vehicles. And now, the word travels well beyond those roads, naming any act of resourceful improvisation, wherever it’s found.
This open call is for artists and designers of printed matter and handheld or small-format works who engage with the spirit of jugaad, whether as their subject or as the thinking behind how the work was made. It might document or explore jugaadi things directly: everyday intelligences of getting by and getting it done, lateral logics of adaptation, unlikely workarounds and reinvention born of necessity. Or it might be a piece whose making itself reflects that resourcefulness: a considered use of found or repurposed materials, an adapted process or a structure built to solve a specific constraint.
We’re drawn to work that recontextualises, reroutes and reimagines: the unconventional held to a high standard. If your solution came from adjustment rather than access, from problem-solving rather than a huge budget, it belongs here.
What we’re looking for:
Zines, artist books, comics, risograph or photocopied prints, posters, foldables, instruction manuals, packaging and other small-format works. If it can travel in a suitcase, it’s probably in scope. We’re not able to take framed work or anything requiring gallery-standard installation. Final selection is at the curators’ discretion. Gen-AI images and text will not be accepted.
Who can apply:
Artists, designers, writers and collectives whose practice genuinely engages with this theme. If you’re unsure whether your work fits, reach out anyway and tell us why in a line or two. Please note: you’ll need to be able to send your work to the Netherlands by the end of September at the latest.
What happens next:
We’ll make selections on a rolling basis from 5 August to 5 September and reach out to coordinate shipping and other details. Selected work will join our fair at SAC Art Amsterdam in October, where it will be sold on mutually agreeable terms regarding commission, duration and number of editions. Artists will be remunerated within 30 days of each sale. Further details will be shared directly with those selected. We look forward to receiving your questions or submissions!
- Open Call launches in July
- Send an email by 5 September. The sooner, the better.
- Email: [email protected] | cc: [email protected] | Subject: JUGAAD – [Your Contribution]
- Selected work will join our printed matter fair on 9 – 10 October in Amsterdam.
- Unsold works will be returned to the artists at the end of a mutually agreed consignment period.
Email: [email protected] with a CC to art@sacartamsterdam to Apply.
Poster design by Siti Nur Enjoi
Open call for JUGAAD: Absolute Improvisation
Initiated and co-curated by SAC Art Amsterdam and Mama Magnet
Poster design by Siti Nur Enjoi
Jugaad (n.): a fix, an improvised solution built from what’s on hand. Rooted in the Sanskrit yuj, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’, the word became jugāṛ in Hindi: a combination of means and materials. It took its most recognisable form in post-independence rural Punjab, where scrap metal, agricultural pumps and salvaged parts were pieced together into working vehicles. And now, the word travels well beyond those roads, naming any act of resourceful improvisation, wherever it’s found.
This open call is for artists and designers of printed matter and handheld or small-format works who engage with the spirit of jugaad, whether as their subject or as the thinking behind how the work was made. It might document or explore jugaadi things directly: everyday intelligences of getting by and getting it done, lateral logics of adaptation, unlikely workarounds and reinvention born of necessity. Or it might be a piece whose making itself reflects that resourcefulness: a considered use of found or repurposed materials, an adapted process or a structure built to solve a specific constraint.
We’re drawn to work that recontextualises, reroutes and reimagines: the unconventional held to a high standard. If your solution came from adjustment rather than access, from problem-solving rather than a huge budget, it belongs here.
What we’re looking for:
Zines, artist books, comics, risograph or photocopied prints, posters, foldables, instruction manuals, packaging and other small-format works. If it can travel in a suitcase, it’s probably in scope. We’re not able to take framed work or anything requiring gallery-standard installation. Final selection is at the curators’ discretion. Gen-AI images and text will not be accepted.
Who can apply:
Artists, designers, writers and collectives whose practice genuinely engages with this theme. If you’re unsure whether your work fits, reach out anyway and tell us why in a line or two. Please note: you’ll need to be able to send your work to the Netherlands by the end of September at the latest.
What happens next:
We’ll make selections on a rolling basis from 5 August to 5 September and reach out to coordinate shipping and other details. Selected work will join our fair at SAC Art Amsterdam in October, where it will be sold on mutually agreeable terms regarding commission, duration and number of editions. Artists will be remunerated within 30 days of each sale. Further details will be shared directly with those selected. We look forward to receiving your questions or submissions!
- Open Call launches in July
- Send an email by 5 September. The sooner, the better.
- Email: [email protected] | cc: [email protected] | Subject: JUGAAD – [Your Contribution]
- Selected work will join our printed matter fair on 9 – 10 October in Amsterdam.
- Unsold works will be returned to the artists at the end of a mutually agreed consignment period.
Email: [email protected] with a CC to art@sacartamsterdam to Apply.