🌎 XPACE CULTURAL CENTRE ANNUAL OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 2026/2027 🌏
╰┈➤ Apply until May 31, 2026 at 11:59PM EDT
We are seeking submissions for:
🐠 Exhibitions
🪸 Workshops
🐚 Designers
🐬 Writers
Exhibition & Workshop Thematics
Thematic 1: Insert Here (2026 OCAD U Graduate Residency)
Teeming with infinite possibility, Insert Here asks questions of transformation, reinvention and completion. What does it mean to think of a before and beyond? There is an inherent relativity that this thematic situates in—a directiveness asserted in an action. And yet the outcome of this action is unknown. This thematic encourages OCAD U recent graduates to participate in a practice of unfolding, considering presence as a tool as they navigate the transitional period that is life post-graduation.
Thematic 2: Exchange
In moments of isolation, it is exchange that grounds us back into connection and community. With our tongues untied we are able to participate, in dialogue, in the joy of remembering, and in chance encounters that elicit relationality. We are able to see ourselves in one another and flow between self and other. This thematic asks artists and curators to consider exchange as a site of building through connection.
Thematic 3: Softness
Between moments of light and shadow, there is softness. A trace, a quiet shift, a slow thaw. Fragility and vulnerability give space to repair and care, while intimacy is felt all around. Our five senses are heightened in moments of softness, ready to receive what is tenderly guided towards them. This thematic prioritizes gentle whispers over loud proclamations.
Thematic 4: Illusion
Increasingly our daily lives intersect with illusion. True or false, real or fake, misery or happiness. This can be seen relating to the rise of AI generated content, political propaganda, and a never ceasing algorithm. But despite all that we contend with, illusion is also a tool of resistance and reliance. It is a state of unsettledness where the act of undoing is also doing. This thematic invites artists to explore refusal, failure, losslessness, and moments marked by trends, fads or short lived crazes.
To submit your application, please visit Submittable.
Designers
Are you an emerging illustrator and/or graphic designer?
Xpace Cultural Centre is seeking to hire and work with emerging illustrators/graphic designers for our 2026/2027 programming year posters and promo material! If you are interested in working with us, please fill out the following form.
All submissions are added to our Designer’s Pool, which is refreshed annually. We refer to the Designer Pool when we are commissioning posters for our 2026/2027 programming year events, calls and workshops. If selected, you will receive an email from us with more details. Please note that your information will not be shared with anyone outside of the Xpace staff, and that we pay a flat designer fee of CAD $250.
Writers
Are you an emerging art writer?
Xpace Cultural Centre is seeking to hire and work with emerging writers for our 2026/2027 exhibition essays! If you are interested in working with us, please fill out the following form.
All submissions are added to our Writer’s Pool, which is refreshed annually. We refer to our Writer’s Pool when we are commissioning writers for our exhibition essays. If selected, you will receive an email from us with more details. Please note that your information will not be shared with anyone outside of the Xpace staff, and that we pay a flat writer’s fee of CAD $375.
📧Please note that we do not accept submissions or questions sent to us through direct messages on social media.
❓Open Call related questions? Check our FAQ document, send us an email at opencall@xpace.info, or sign up for one of our Open Call Info Sessions on Eventbrite!
We look forward to seeing your submissions!
Design by: @hyunsun.illust ✴️