For its latest open call, Déréal Digital is excited to welcome guest curator Linda Zhengová — a photographer, curator and writer—
who will oversee the selection. For the occasion, she has introduced the theme:
Loose Ends
There are threads that dangle, unsatisfied, between thought and form. Frayed edges of something that’s still searching for its shape, a narrative not yet fully understood, a gesture hanging in the air, unresolved. Loose Ends—a space where the untold lingers and the unsaid expands into space, where everything is still becoming, never quite finished.
We are calling out to photographers whose work captures this tension—this quiet chaos of what is not yet settled, but insists on being seen. The moments when clarity falters, and what remains is not an answer, but the raw potential of what could be. The fleeting instant just before things fall into place or crumble apart.
Submit your work that resists resolution, that stirs something still unfolding. In your work, show us where the story hasn’t ended yet. Bring us to the edge of what’s known and leave us in the space between, where everything is suspended, untethered, and still unraveling. Send us the fragments that refuse to be pieced together. Show us your unfinished thoughts.
To submit a project, please complete the form here with the required information.
*Please ensure that the photographs have a maximum resolution of 1500 pixels on the longest side.
There are no restrictions on submissions.
Selected projects will be featured on the Déréal Digital website and shared across our social media platforms.
Deadline: January 20th
Linda Zhengová is a Czech-Chinese photographer, curator, and writer currently based in Amsterdam. Her work delves into the complex themes of representation, sexuality, and trauma, using photography to challenge societal boundaries and taboos.
Zhengová’s images, often spontaneous and personal, capture her romantic and friendly encounters with strangers and fleeting moments of pure happiness. Her erotic imagery, evocative of a bygone era, suggests that memory is the space where love most vividly resides. By confronting viewers with moments of vulnerability and intimacy, her work invites a deep reflection on the intensity of human relationships. She challenges us to reconsider how we connect with both ourselves and others, offering a delicate balance between discomfort and empathy.
Her artistic practice is deeply informed by academic and visual research, and she has authored several publications, including The Ambiguity of Visual Representations of Trauma (2020), Catharsis (2021), Katabasis (2023), and Strangers (2024). These works explore emotional landscapes, memory, and personal history, often uncovering hidden layers of trauma and healing. As the curator of XXX, a publication by Discarded Magazine, Zhengová showcases her interest in contemporary erotic photography, adding a nuanced perspective to her exploration of intimacy and the human body. She also regularly contributes editorially to platforms such as GUP Magazine, FRESH EYES, Extra Extra, and Discarded Magazine.
