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Young Space invites submissions of contemporary visual art for an online exhibition in Summer 2021! This is an opportunity to submit your work for consideration for a curated virtual show via Young Space Views. Presenting exhibitions online since 2018 and growing and evolving into 2021, Young Space has established itself a go-to platform for discovering early career and emerging contemporary artists around the world.

How it works

Please read carefully! It’s good idea to print or bookmark this page for future reference to keep track of dates and guidelines.

Young Space online shows aim to be internationally accessible, 24/7, curated presentations of exciting contemporary work from a diverse range of emerging voices around the world. Each show typically comprises several works each, by about 15-20 artists, and is presented in an autonomous presentation on Young Space Views. It is also promoted via social media, email list, and additional network/press contacts. There is no predetermined theme; the concept of the show is determined by the work submitted and how a group of artists and their work build a cohesive and curated presentation, inviting more in-depth discussion and participation from viewers and prospective collectors. In this way, each open call produces a unique show based on artists’ strongest work.

Each artist and at least one artwork is highlighted individually on the @yngspc Instagram (117K+ followers, including gallerists, curators, publications, and collectors), along with process and studio insights, interviews, and other means of facilitating community and connections to art professionals and art lovers around the globe. Young Space also actively promotes the exhibition to a growing network of collectors, press, and an established mailing list. Additionally, all entries are also retained and revisited regularly in consideration for inclusion in future group and solo exhibitions (online or offline) for STEAK Gallery projects, or collaborative curated projects with other galleries and organizations.

Who is it for?

Young Space open call opportunities are especially geared toward artists who are early or emerging in their careers (regardless of age) and seeking opportunities to have their work showcased to a wider audience. Work is considered for a curated showcase, presented to a network comprised of galleries, collectors, curators, and art lovers around the globe. While it may be most useful for early career artists, all are welcome! Young Space aims to highlight a diverse range of practices, so all media types are welcome and encouraged! Artists of any age, and from any geographic location are welcome to apply.

Please consider whether your work might be a “good fit” within the contemporary program of the platform. It’s helpful to research artists shown in previous shows at views.yngspc.com/archive, or scroll through the Instagram gallery to get a feel for the varieties and styles of work there, and to get an idea if you think your work aligns with the eclectic Young Space aesthetic.

Application fee

Suggested $20. Pay-what-you-can, starting at $5. Fees are nonrefundable. Fees support the Young Space Grant for artists as well as sustaining web costs and admin associated with Young Space as an independent platform that actively works to connect emerging artists with gallerists, curators, and collectors around the world.

At the close of the application period, regardless of the the outcome of your application, all applicants will also receive a link to a helpful PDF guide with links to further resources, opportunities, and information geared especially toward artists who are just starting to get your work out there (sent in mid-July along with the decision email).

About

Kate Mothes is founder and curator of Young Space, with an aim of facilitating connections and opportunities in the form of virtual and physical exhibitions, writing and publications, and fostering community via collaborative initiatives. Young Space is an independent, itinerant, online-offline contemporary art platform emphasizing and advocating for early career and emerging artists. Part curatorial project and part itinerant gallery, the platform is a constantly evolving initiative that expands and reconfigures in response to collaboration, participation, and the changing times. Exhibitions are coordinated nationally and internationally, in collaboration with artists, gallerists and dealers, curators, and other arts professionals in order to position Young Space as a conduit or facilitator for artists entering the art world, and as a source to discover the best in up-and-coming talent. Read more about the project here, and more about Kate here.

APPLICATION

Please complete both Part 1 and Part 2 below. Your submission will not be considered until both steps have been completed.

Send any questions or concerns you may have via email to kate@yngspc.com. All correspondence will be through email only. Please make sure to type in your email address correctly or you won’t receive communications. If you encounter any issues with this form or any other part of the submission process, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Eligibility:

All artists in all career stages of at least 18 years old are eligible to submit work for consideration. Artists whose work has been previously exhibited in any Young Space exhibition or project may reapply with a new body of work AND if it has been at least six months since the previous exhibition. Work submitted must be new within the last two years. There is no limitation on geographic location, theme, or medium. If selected, you may be asked for additional information.

Important Dates:

Deadline to apply: EXTENDED to Wednesday, June 16 end of day (your local time).
All artists will be notified of the final decision in mid-July. If your work is selected, you will receive further information at that time and confirm participation.
All selected work will be on display online opening in late July or early August, exact dates TBA. Shows run for approximately 4 weeks.

Specifications + Requirements

Artists may submit up to ten (10) distinct pieces of work for consideration. If selected, typically 3-5 artworks are included.
Only completed artworks will be considered.
Images must be of professional quality with good lighting. (These are the images that will represent your work online. “Professional quality” can mean actual professional images, or phone photos if they look professional!)
Images and supporting documents must be uploaded directly to the form below. If submitting video/new media work, please attach a still image from each work, then include links to the videos online in the artwork field for each piece, in the form.
Artwork is encouraged to be for sale, but it is not required. For work that is for sale, Young Space will handle all sales and related communication. Work cannot be simultaneously available or publicized for sale elsewhere during the exhibition unless an agreement has been reached between Young Space, the artist, and the gallery to that effect. If the work is currently consigned with another gallery, please be sure there are no conflicts of interest and that the gallery is open to cooperation, especially if the work is exhibited elsewhere during the dates that it is on view with Young Space (physically or online). Work will not be included if it is unavailable for sale because it is “on hold” for future sale, ie. an art fair application. If work is exhibited or publicized for sale elsewhere during the course of the exhibition and this has not been disclosed, Young Space maintains the right to remove the work from the presentation at any time. Please don’t hesitate to contact Kate at kate@yngspc.com with any questions about availability or pricing
Young Space asks for a 25% commission total on any sales. Please factor in this amount when determining your prices. For work that is accepted into the show, prices may be discussed further.
Work is only shipped if sold (as a virtual exhibition, there is no need to ship works otherwise, keeping costs down for all). If sold, artwork may ship internationally. Buyers will be responsible for shipping costs. At the time of sale, Kate will communicate with the artist about the best methods and postage rates for shipment, depending on the size/scale of work, before the sale is confirmed. Artists whose work is included in the exhibition agree, if work sells, to package and ship the work in a professional and safe manner, or have it professionally packaged, and posted promptly at the most economical rate or, to the best of their ability, to the buyers’ preference.

Submitting:

Submission fee is suggested at $20, but pay what you can (minimum $5; nonrefundable) per artist, regardless of the number or type of works submitted, limit 10.
Online entry only via website. Credit/debit card via PayPal (at this time, we can only accept PayPal for international transactions). All proceeds from fees cover administrative costs, and directly fund Young Space projects and opportunities. 10% of all proceeds from fees are allocated for the Young Space grant to support individual artists and art workers. Previous grant recipients can be found here. Young Space is totally independent and your support is greatly appreciated!

Image/File standards:

File name format: LastName_FirstName_Title.jpeg
Images must show the exact work you are submitting.
Images can be a maximum of 3MB each.
Acceptable image file formats are .jpg/jpeg or .png. Please, no PDF portfolios documents.
You may submit up to 2 views of each work in addition to the overview image, especially for 3D work, to illustrated different views or angles.

If applying with video, time-based or digital media:

Include 2-3 still images from each piece, plus a link to the full video on Vimeo or YouTube in the artwork details field, along with the title and duration information.
You may upload a short preview of the video directly to the application, but please also include a link to the video on a hosting platform. If the work is selected for inclusion, it will be linked through Vimeo or YouTube.

If you have technical questions about the application, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your interest and support!

Part 1:

Please follow the steps below to complete Part 1 of the application:

Fill out all required fields in the entry form, noted with a * symbol. Please note: Information in the Airtable form will not save if you navigate away from the page before hitting the blue “submit” button at the bottom of the form.
If the form doesn’t appear right away, give it a few seconds to load. The busier it gets toward the deadline, the harder the servers are working, so please be patient! If it still doesn’t load, please access it directly here (opens in a new tab). If that also does not work, please email kate@yngspc.com.
Upload to the Attachments field: images of your work, a brief statement, bio, and your CV. The statement, bio, and CV may be one document or separate. If you cannot see the upload popup for attachments, just scroll down the page a little bit and the dialogue box will be in the center of the form.
Click “Submit,” and check for confirmation message, which appears in the submission form box (scroll down the page a little bit if you do not see this right away). This is your confirmation of submission; there is no automatic email. By submitting artwork via this call, the artist is agreeing to all terms outlined above.
Click link in confirmation message or at the bottom of page to pay entry fee (suggested $20). You will receive a PayPal receipt via email upon completion. Your submission is now complete!

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Part 2:

If not automatically directed once you have submitted the form above, please click here to pay the submission fee. If you have trouble accessing PayPal via that link, you can also directly transfer using this link: PayPal.me/yngspc.

Questions? Contact Kate at kate@yngspc.com.

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