OPEN CALL
“Not For Sale”
- Group Exhibition at A Space Gallery
We’re opening submissions for a group show from May 22, 2026, to May 29, 2026
We live in a world that demands a “why.” In a culture obsessed with optimization, we are told that every work must serve a purpose: it should be for a portfolio, for a client, or for sale. We’ve been conditioned to treat our creativity like a factory—if it doesn’t produce “value,” we’re told it’s a waste of time.
But we are looking for the work that was born without a destination. What about the work that simply saved you? What about the messy sketches you made while stuck on a Zoom call, the weird abstract shapes you doodled just to keep your hands from shaking, or the pieces that are “too personal” to sell and “too weird” to post? We want the art that happened when you stopped trying to be "productive" and started being honest.
[Not for sale] is a soft rebellion against the pressure to have a point. This is an archive of non-strategic art pieces created simply because the artist needed to breathe. These works aren't "career moves" or "brand-consistent" projects; they are the raw, unfiltered evidence of being alive in a world that tries to turn every human instinct into a commodity.
We are celebrating the unfinished, the unpolished, and the purposefully aimless. We aren’t looking for your “best” work—we want the work that felt the most alive. We welcome any form of expression that was created for no audience, with no goal, and for no reason. Because in a world of endless outcomes, sometimes the act of making is enough.
Eligibility: Open to all Visual Artists in all media.
Accepted Artwork: Painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography, digital art, mixed media, site-specific installations, interactive work, illustration, performance, etc.
Submission fee: $25
Application Deadline: May 11, 2026
Exhibition Date: May 22, 2026 - May 29, 2026
Location: A Space Gallery, 13 Grattan St, #402, Brooklyn, NY 11206