Aarhus School of Architecture (AAA) and The Royal Danish Academy / Architecture invite proposals for the WORKS + WORDS 2026 Biennale in Artistic Research in Architecture, which will be held in Aarhus at three prominent venues in the inner city.

This call is distributed to architecture schools and research environments worldwide with the ambition of presenting diversified and highly qualified material at the Biennale. It is an invitation to exhibit, describe, and discuss the works and words that form part of artistic research in architecture. We invite everyone engaged in artistic research within the field of architecture to send proposals to the WORKS + WORDS 2026 Biennale in Artistic Research in Architecture, whether they work in academia, professional practice, or independently. The Biennale also includes a symposium, which takes place in conjunction with the Biennale opening. A number of participants in the Biennale will be invited to deliver a presentation of their work at the symposium.

We are hoping for a broad and inclusive range of submissions related to artistic research in architecture, and we encourage proposals for works that span scales from 1:1 full-scale constructions to spatial representations. Submissions are open to diverse media, technologies, and materials and may include processes, works in progress, artistic explorations, or analytical projects that engage with sites, spaces, atmospheres, ideas, etc. At the same time, we remain open to submissions that challenge conventional formats or explore perspectives and approaches to artistic research in architecture that we have yet to imagine.

Submitted work must be contemporary and should not have been exhibited elsewhere in the same form. In all cases, the material produced—whether architectural representations or physical objects—must be accompanied by a written reflection on the research practice.

To apply for participation, please submit the following:

1. A title and a short synopsis describing the central idea of the work intended for exhibition (max. 2000 characters).
2. A short position statement by the author(s) explaining how the work contributes to artistic research or reflects on the concept of artistic research in architecture (max. 2000 characters).
3. Up to three pages of visual representations of the work.
4. A one-page CV from each author.

 Submit contribution

 Review and Selection Process

The submitted material will be rigorously reviewed by an international selection committee with expertise in artistic research in architecture.

Selected projects will be invited to a second stage for further development in dialogue with the curators before final approval for participation in the WORKS + WORDS 2026 Biennale in Artistic Research in Architecture. This second stage aims to refine and prepare the projects for exhibition, ensuring alignment with the character and architectural intentions of the individual works as well as the biennale’s venues. During the second stage, participants are also requested to develop the written description and statement as a text to be included in the exhibition catalogue. For larger works, Aarhus School of Architecture invites a limited number of projects to be developed at the school’s workshop facilities during February 2026.