PARALLEL
EUROPEAN PHOTO BASED PLATFORM
PARALLEL is a platform that brings together creative European organisations committed to promoting cross-cultural exchanges and mentorships in order to set new standards in contemporary photography. Members include museums, galleries, cultural centres, festivals, art schools and publishers – 18 of the most vibrant European cultural hubs, from16 different countries, that will participate in selecting and hosting emerging artists and curators, organising exhibitions and promoting artistic networking. The large and diverse nature of this network ensures a wide geographical spread and a fertile ground for fostering new dialogues, sparking fresh ideas and helping to boost creativity.
PHOTOGRAPHY / CURATORSHIP
PARALLEL // PHOTO BASED PLATFORM
CONCEPTUAL MATRIX
At the core of our practice lies an operational matrix designed to develop regional and international territories through contemporary photography. By shifting the medium from a passive tool of documentation to an active agent of territorial research, the platform acts as a catalyst for site-specific projects and urban interventions.
This methodology functions through the deliberate convergence of three distinct forces: Artists, Curators, and Exhibitions Venues. Rather than operating in isolation, these elements overlap to create a collaborative infrastructure. Photography becomes the primary language used to survey, question, and read the identity of shifting landscapes, providing creators with the critical guidance of curators and the physical or public platforms needed to engage with the public sphere.
The ultimate purpose of this tripartite framework is to establish a direct, reciprocal bridge between Emerging Creators and the broader Art System. By connecting local territorial investigations with institutional networks, international festivals, and publishing ecosystems, the matrix ensures that grassroots visual research is elevated into global cultural discourse. Each project we develop is a direct outcome of this intersection, turning local identity into an expanded field of international artistic exchange.
BREAKING NEW GROUND IN
CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY
Parallel is a platform that brings together creative European organisations committed to promoting cross-cultural exchanges and mentorships in order to set new standards in contemporary photography. Members include museums, galleries, cultural centres, festivals, art schools and publishers – 18 vibrant European cultural hubs, from 16 countries, that will participate in selecting and hosting emerging artists and curators, organising exhibitions and promoting artistic networking.
The large and diverse nature of this network ensures a wide geographical spread and a fertile ground for fostering new dialogues, sparking fresh ideas and helping to boost creativity.
The work process is implemented as a two-phase process: Creative Guidance: selection, tutoring, peer learning and curatorship for emergent creators; Exhibition Platform: a wide exhibition network engaging exhibitors, universities and art schools.
The Platform is designed and led by Procur.arte and co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
https://parallelplatform.org/