OPEN CALL: Szombathely Mural Commission 2026

Project Arts Centre is delighted to announce the fifth iteration of the Bloomsday, Szombathely project in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland in Hungary, and the City of Szombathely. Bloomsday, Szombathely has an ongoing, annual artistic programme and will present its new iteration in June 2026. In June 2025, artist Roisín McGuigan presented her painting in the city of Szombathely to warm acclaim. 

This year, we are inviting Irish artists to submit a mural proposal in response to chapter 11 of James Joyce’s Ulysses, titled Sirens. The applications are not expected to be illustrative of the novel but to engage with its formal and narrative experimentation. The new commission will be unveiled in June 2026. 

The Bloomsday project attempts to map the various references to Leopold Bloom (the protagonist of James Joyce’s novel Ulysses) in the city of Szombathely, Hungary. According to the book, Bloom’s father, Rudolf Virág, is from the city. This reference has given rise to a number of cultural projects that draw on this fictional history and try to enact real-world connections: to Ireland and to the artistic legacies of the 20th century avant garde.  

We would ask artists to submit a 300 word, developed proposal, a CV/bio and 5 images (at least 1 of which is of previous work and at least 1 of which relates directly to the proposal). Links to video or audio submissions are welcome (2 mins max). All materials should be gathered into a single PDF document.

The applications will be shortlisted by Project Arts Centre’s Artistic Director and Curator of Visual Arts. Final selection will be made by representatives from each of the project partners. 

Please submit your application by email to submissions@projectartscentre.ie (we will accept Dropbox or WeTransfer links). You can also send any questions and queries to this email address. 

The fee for the project is €2500, along with materials, travel, accommodation and per diem. Artists should be available to travel to Szombathely, Hungary between 1-17 June for the installation and opening of the artwork.

As outlined above, the artwork should be inspired by episode 11 of Ulysses. 

The partners welcome applications from all artists working in visual forms but would like to encourage applications by artists from a diversity of national, ethnic or cultural groups (including, but not limited to Asian, Black, Traveller and minority ethnic, refugees, people with disabilities, working-class and LGBTQI+ artists).

We are committed to accessibility and want to make sure that our opportunities are accessible to all artists. If any additional supports are required to enable you to take up this opportunity, please include the details in your application. We will work with you to see how we can help remove any barriers, within a limited budget. 

Please note: The size of the available wall is maximum 3.4 x 7 meters. The location of the mural is Fő tér 39, Szombathely (Main Square, parking lot). An image of the site for the 2026 mural is available here. 

For more details on the 2025 edition of the project please see here. 

For more details on the 2024 edition of the project please see here. 

For more details on the 2023 edition of the project please see here. 

For more details on the 2022 edition of the project please see here.