Guest Room:
Marina Paulenka & Thomas Schäfer

Guest Room aims to spark collaboration. Marina Paulenka, founding Director of Exhibitions at Fotografiska Berlin, is teaming up with Fotografiska’s Exhibition Manager Thomas Schäfer. Together, they have developed the following framework for your submissions: "Balancing Belonging".

Humans are social creatures, and we naturally crave connection and community.

Belonging is a very basic need – from the moment of our birth belonging to a group provides us with safety, guidance and learning opportunities. It is at the core of us as individuals.

However, balancing our enate longing for a community with the need for self-care can be a challenging task. In today’s world belonging to something or someone constitutes our identity – especially at a young age. This kind of existential pressure holds a strong risk of compromising our personal integrity along with physical and mental health.

Balancing our longing for community with the need for self-care is a delicate dance. It requires establishing healthy boundaries, seeking out supportive communities, and communicating our needs with others. This makes balancing the longing for community with the need for self-care a crucial endeavor of our generation. How can we prioritize our own well-being and foster more meaningful and fulfilling connections with those around us?