Open Call Now Live: Apply to Art Senses, a mentorship programme dedicated to exploring how art engages the senses to inspire wellbeing, connection, and new ways of experiencing the world. Artists are invited to apply responding to the edition’s curatorial theme: Sensing the Invisible.
Art Senses is a new mentorship programme exploring the sensory dimensions in artistic practice. Conceived by Therme Art, it supports works that engage the senses, alone or in combination, unlocking cross-modal pathways of perception and inspiring wellbeing and new ways of experiencing the world. Each edition of Art Senses explores a specific theme in the sensory field guided by an invited artist-mentor and distinguished jury, who offer curatorial insight, mentorship, and professional guidance.
The programme is founded on three core principles: wellbeing, which fosters sensory artistic practices that nurture mindfulness and environmental awareness; immersion, which encourages artworks that are designed to envelop audiences through multisensory, spatial, or participatory elements; and expanded communities, which extend cultural engagement beyond conventional artspaces.
Artists worldwide are invited to apply via our open call portal. From all submissions, three artists will be shortlisted and awarded an artist fee to develop a project proposal. One of them will be chosen as the Art Senses Artist of the Year, receiving a budget, mentorship, visibility, and resources to develop their project further.
Art Senses is developed by Therme Art, an international cultural initiative advancing Therme Group’s mission to promote wellbeing, in close collaboration with Therme Group, whose expertise in innovative technologies and wellbeing infrastructures shapes the programme’s vision.
2025/26 Edition: Sensing the Invisible
The 2025/26 edition of Art Senses explores how art can extend perception beyond the predominance of sight, embracing the full spectrum of our sensory experience. This focus highlights ephemeral, interactive, and time-based artworks that exist in the moment of encounter, reminding us that art is not only an object to observe, but a lived experience to inhabit, feel, and reflect upon. In an era saturated by visual stimuli and digital spectacle, this edition seeks artistic practices that cultivate balance across the sensorium, opening space for embodied, multisensory experiences.
We are delighted to announce A.A.Murakami, Tokyo/London-based artist duo, as the 2025/26 mentor-artist. Renowned for their immersive sensory practice, their work heightens awareness of ephemeral phenomena and the invisible forces shaping perception, offering a lens through which to explore the multisensory and fleeting experiences.
Under the theme of Sensing the Invisible, Art Senses 2025/26 supports artists whose works uncover intangible forces by choreographing the senses into new constellations. Applicants are invited to expand their sensory vocabulary and investigate the ephemerality of light, sound, vibration, scent, air, or bodily interaction. This theme celebrates works that dissolve boundaries between the senses, between self and environment, and between the visible and the invisible.
It asks: How can artists give form to what is imperceptible to the eye, and in doing so, awaken us to both the fragility and the vitality of our embodied presence?
This inaugural edition explores how art extends perception beyond the dominance of sight, embracing the full spectrum of our sensory existence.
A.A.Murakami
Meet the Mentor
The invited mentor provides curatorial direction and six months of dedicated mentorship to the Art Senses Artist of the Year, supporting both project development and professional growth.
A.A.Murakami is a Tokyo/London-based artist duo renowned for their innovative sensory installations. Pioneers of Ephemeral Tech, they merge science, technology, and art into experiences that invite reflection, contemplation and fleeting awareness.
They create bespoke systems that give ephemeral form to intangible forces, summoning bubbles, fog rings, and clouds of scent that last only moments. These experiences heighten awareness of time’s passage and the fragile beauty of nature, offering spaces of reflection rather than spectacle. Works such as New Spring, Infinity Blue, and Beyond the Horizon embody this vision, inviting mindfulness and a renewed sensitivity to the environment. Extending the lineage of the Light and Space movement, their practice transforms plasma, mist, and vapor into active participants in the sensory field, blending natural science with aesthetic experience.
A.A.Murakami’s art is held in the permanent collections of MoMA, NewYork; Centre Pompidou, Paris; and M+, Hong Kong, with solo shows at M+, Hong Kong (2024) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2025), and exhibitions at Copenhagen Contemporary (2025), Leeum Museum, Seoul (2023), Grand Palais, Paris (2025), Triennale Milano (2023), and Kunstpalast, Germany (2021). Alongside their art practice, their design studio Studio Swine has pioneered innovations in material futures and process design, fostering dialogue between culture, sustainability, and innovation.
Introduction of A.A.Murakami for Floating World, 2025 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
"Art Senses is a fantastic opportunity for artists to throw us back into our bodies, throw us back into our other senses, provide opportunities for new experiences and moments of contemplation that are maybe missing."
— A.A.Murakami
A panel of distinguished experts forms the Art Senses jury, guiding the selection process and offering advice to support the creative and professional growth of participating artists.
Tino Sehgal
Artist
Jane Withers
Curator
Marc Spiegler
Cultural Strategist
Fatoş Üstek
Curator & Writer
Through the open call, artists are invited to apply, with shortlisted participants and the Art Senses Artist of the Year receiving dedicated support and benefits outlined below.
Who can apply
Artists working across all mediums and disciplines
Participants must be 18 years or older at the time of submission
Artists from all nationalities, based anywhere globally, are welcome to apply (subject to applicable laws)
Applications are open to individual artists as well as collectives
Note: Collectives will be considered a single applicant, and all benefits, requirements, and regulations will apply per application.
How to apply
Artists are invited to submit a CV, portfolio, and letter of interest responding to the edition’s curatorial theme: Sensing the Invisible.
From all submissions, three artists will be shortlisted by the jury. These shortlisted artists will receive support to refine their proposals before the final selection of Art Senses Artist of the Year.
Please download the full Application Guidelines for detailed information.
Shortlisted artists receive
€1,000 artist fee to develop a project proposal
Consultation with the jury and mentor
Announcement on Therme Art’s online platforms
The winning Art Senses Artist of the Year receives
€10,000 financial award as an artist fee and project development budget
Up to six months of tailored remote mentorship with artist duo A.A.Murakami
Curatorial guidance from the jury
Technical and feasibility consultations from Therme Group experts
International visibility through Therme Art’s online platforms
Opportunities to present the artistic outcome at Therme Art partner venues
Possibility to realise the project as a permanent site-specific artwork with Therme Art
Art Senses unfolds through a step-by-step process, beginning with the Open Call and culminating in the Mentorship period.
November 2025:
Open Call Begins Open call applications begin on 1 November 2025. Artists are invited to submit a CV, portfolio, and letter of interest responding to the edition’s curatorial theme: Sensing the Invisible.
December 2025:
Open Call Closes Applications close on 1 December 2025.
January 2026:
Shortlist Announcement On 16 January 2026, the jury selects three shortlisted artists. Each receives a €1,000 budget and six weeks to develop a project proposal aligned with the curatorial theme.
February 2026:
Project proposal submission deadline Shortlisted artists must submit their project proposal by 27 February 2026.
11 March 2026:
Winner Announcement On 11 March 2026, one artist is named the Artist of the Year, chosen through a joint decision by the jury and mentor.
April 2026:
Mentorship Starts The selected artist enters the mentorship programme, working closely with A.A. Murakami to further develop their submitted proposal into a realisable concept.
August 2026:
Mentorship Ends: Mentorship period ends on 31 August 2026.
Final Project Presentation: The final work will be presented through Therme Art’s channels and partner venues, with the format tailored to the artistic outcome.
Art Senses unfolds through a step-by-step process, beginning with the open call and culminating in the mentorship period.
The jury selects three shortlisted artists. Each receives a €1,000 budget and six weeks to develop a project proposal aligned with the curatorial theme.
The final artistic outcome will be showcased through Therme Art’s channels and partner venues, with Therme curating presentation opportunities that best align with the nature and intent of the work.
FAQs
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Tino Sehgal
Artist
Tino Sehgal is a Berlin-based artist whose work explores the immaterial, staging live “constructed situations” that engage visitors through movement, dialogue, and interaction rather than material objects. Trained in political economy and choreography, Sehgal’s works, such as Kiss (2002) and This Situation (2007), invite active participation and reflection on social and philosophical themes. Sehgal has presented at major institutions worldwide, including the Tate Modern, Guggenheim, and Stedelijk Museum, and represented Germany at the Venice Biennale in 2005. In 2013 he was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Artist at the Biennale.
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Jane Withers
Curator
Jane Withers is a leading curator, writer, consultant, and Director of Jane Withers Studio. The research-based practice has a particular interest in environmental issues and inspiring change through design, and has curated exhibitions and public programmes at museums and institutions including the V&A Museum, the Royal Academy of Arts, MK&G Hamburg and MAK Vienna, among many others. Jane teaches and lectures internationally, has served on numerous juries and advisory boards, and has been published widely. She was awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of Westminster for services to the environment and received Milan’s Design Prize for Experimentation.
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Marc Spiegler
Cultural Strategist
Marc Spiegler is a cultural strategist working at the intersection of art, technology, performance, and cultural brand strategy. He is President of Superblue’s Board, Chairman of the Advisory Board for Hamburg’s forthcoming Digital Art Museum, and serves on Sanlorenzo’s Comitato Scientifico for Venice’s new Casa Sanlorenzo. Beyond the visual arts, he collaborates with Wu Tsang’s Moved by the Motion, Trajal Harrell’s Zurich Dance Ensemble, and Transmoderna, bringing together electronic music and digital art. A visiting professor at Bocconi University since 2016, he also writes the Arts Radar column for Business of Fashion. From 2012 to 2022, Spiegler directed Art Basel, having first joined as co-director in 2007 after a 15-year career in journalism. He has served on the Therme Arts Advisory Board since 2019.
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Fatoş Üstek
Curator & Writer
Fatoş Üstek is a curator, writer, and cultural leader, currently developing a new institution inspired by the ideas in her acclaimed book, The Art Institution of Tomorrow (2024). Formerly the director of two leading UK art institutions, she is the co-founder and Managing Director of FRANK Fair Artist Pay and curator of Frieze Sculpture, London. Üstek serves on numerous international award juries (Turner Prize 2020, Scottish Pavilion 2022, and Netherlands Pavilion 2022 & 2024 in Venice) and advisory boards (Urbane Kunstre Ruhr, Extra Extra Magazine) and advisory panels (Istanbul Modern Collection, Fourth Plinth, Jarman Award). She also mentors artists (Chanel Next Art Prize) and curators, and lectures internationally.
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Fatoş Üstek
Curator & Writer
Fatoş Üstek is a curator, writer, and cultural leader, currently developing a new institution inspired by the ideas in her acclaimed book, The Art Institution of Tomorrow (2024). Formerly the director of two leading UK art institutions, she is the co-founder and Managing Director of FRANK Fair Artist Pay and curator of Frieze Sculpture, London. Üstek serves on numerous international award juries (Turner Prize 2020, Scottish Pavilion 2022, and Netherlands Pavilion 2022 & 2024 in Venice) and advisory boards (Urbane Kunstre Ruhr, Extra Extra Magazine) and advisory panels (Istanbul Modern Collection, Fourth Plinth, Jarman Award). She also mentors artists (Chanel Next Art Prize) and curators, and lectures internationally.
