Flevoland is home to a remarkable collection of land art of international stature, featuring works by renowned artists such as Richard Serra, Marinus Boezem, and Antony Gormley.

Jij bent M., through its Open Call: Land Art in the City, challenges young and emerging creators to bring a contemporary land art project into the heart of Almere — using the city itself as a stage. This may involve presenting a research project, performance, or temporary artwork. The selected contributions will collectively form a temporary land art route through the city, open for exploration on Sunday 7 September. The Jij bent M. pavilion, located along the route, will host a presentation on land art in Flevoland.

With this Open Call, we explore new forms of land art; introduce aspiring artists, designers, and creators to the unique land art collection in Almere and Flevoland, and offer residents and art enthusiasts an encounter with contemporary expressions of land art.

About land art in Flevoland

Shortly after the Flevopolders — large expanses of reclaimed land in the province of Flevoland — were completed, engineers at the National Agency for the IJsselmeer Polders proposed introducing land art into the vast, newly created landscape. Some fifty years on, the province of Flevoland is home to an impressive collection of land art. Nowhere else in the world will you find so many land art works clustered so closely together. Two of these works are located in and around Almere: De Groene Kathedraal [The Green Cathedral] (1996) by Marinus Boezem and Polderland Garden of Love and Fire (1997) by Daniel Libeskind. For more information on land art in Flevoland, visit: www.landartflevoland.nl: www.landartflevoland.nl/en

About Land Art

Land art is an art form that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s from a desire to create works outside the confines of museums and galleries—situated in the landscape, and often shaped in dialogue with it. While traditionally associated with remote or open spaces, land art also appears in urban contexts. Notable examples include Agnes Denes’ temporary project Wheatfield – A Confrontation: Battery Park Landfill, New York (1982) and Patricia Johanson’s Fair Park Lagoon(1981) in Dallas, Texas. In Flevoland, Sea Level (1996) by Richard Serra is located in a park in Zeewolde. Although the best-known works were created by a small group of American artists, the impulse behind land art was global. From Mexico to Poland, and from Japan to Germany, artists around the world embraced landscape as a medium—producing works that can be considered part of the broader land art movement. Like performance art, conceptual art, and early video or computer art, land art emerged as a way of breaking with established conventions. For a look at some unconventional examples of land art, visit: landartlives.nl/en/this-is-land-art-too.

Objectives

With the Open Call Land Art in the City, Jij bent M. seeks to introduce young and emerging creators in the fields of visual art and landscape to the Land Art Flevoland collection, while also exploring the new forms land art can take today. We invite participants to use the city of Almere as a stage for presenting contemporary art in the form of a temporary land art project. Proposals may involve the development of a new work or the elaboration of an existing work or line of research. The selected contributions will collectively form a temporary land art route through the city, open for exploration on Sunday 7 September. The route traverses a variety of settings — from paved urban areas to stretches of water, sand, and greenery. The Jij bent M. pavilion, located along the route, will host a presentation on land art in Flevoland. In doing so, we connect the people of Almere with contemporary art in the city.

Participation

This Open Call is aimed at young creators, designers, and artists between the ages of 18 and 35. We welcome (research) proposals, concepts, or ideas that relate to one or more of the following:

– Land art as a movement or artistic impulse
– Land art in Flevoland
– Nature in the city
– The interaction between humans and nature
– Land art as a dialogue with place, time, and environment
– Land art as a form of counteraction

The submitted proposal or plan should outline the concept and background of the project, and explain how it could be presented in the context of Almere.

Submissions are open until Sunday, 18 May 2025, and should include the following (maximum six A4 pages):

1. A short motivation and concept description (max. 500 words). 
2. Visual sketches or a mood board (if relevant). 
3. A résumé and, if available, a link to your portfolio.
4. A rough estimate of required materials and an indicative budget.

Proposals should be submitted digitally via email to: opencall@jijbentm.art.

Selection procedure  and jury

All submissions will be reviewed by a jury composed of Tessa Haan, directeur-bestuurder a.i. Jij bent M., Folkert de Jong, artist and Martine van Kampen, director Land Art Flevoland. From the entries, four project proposals will be selected. Participants will be personally notified of the results by 7th June 2025.

For more background information on land art, visit: landartlives.nl/en/

What we offer

– An artist’s fee of €2,000 per project
– Material costs covered up to €1,500 per project
– Reimbursement of travel expenses, up to €300 per person
– A working period between 13 June and 6 September 2025, including one on-site day during which content will be created for social media and the website (please note: we do not provide a permanent workspace or studio)
– Personal guidance or support (if desired) from a producer, artist, or curator (max. 6 hours)
– Participation in the Land Art in the City route on Sunday 7 September, including an afternoon presentation between 12:00 and 17:00 (attendance required)
– Participation in the Land Art Tour, during which we will visit existing land art works
– All submitted proposals—both for the Open Call and for any new work created within the project—remain the intellectual property of the creator. Copyright rests with the artist at all times. Jij bent M. retains the right to use images of the work for non-commercial purposes, with proper credit.

Who are we?

This Open Call is an initiative of Jij bent M., which presents art and land art in Almere and Flevoland through inspiring and educational formats. From June to September 2025, the Jij bent M. pavilion will host a presentation on the land art collection in Flevoland. The temporary land art route created through this Open Call will serve as a festive conclusion to the program.

This Open Call is also part of Land Art Lives —an international program of in-depth activities exploring the future of land art in Flevoland, the Netherlands, and beyond. The program is organized by Jij bent M. in collaboration with the Land Art Flevoland foundation.