[Open Call] Global Fugivity: UCLA New Wight International Biennial Exhibition 2026

International Call for Submission │ Free Entry | Deadline July 10th, 2026

Curators: Luke Francis Austin, tunmi da silva, and Sabaah Folayan

Student-curators Luke Francis Austin, Tunmi DaSilva and Sabaah Folayan from the UCLA Graduate Art Program are soliciting submissions of art for the New Wight Biennial exhibition in September 2026 at the UCLA New Wight Gallery. This team will present a range of multimedia works from the international arts community.

This open call is open to artists worldwide who are currently pursuing advanced education in art practice. We are open to applicants engaged in a range of educational pursuits including MFA programs, apprenticeships, long term residencies and fellowships, craft/technical programs, and informal modes of study. Artists in advanced educational programs not described here are encouraged to apply. Submissions are free of charge.

Eligibility: This call is open to artists worldwide who are currently pursuing advanced education in art practice. We are seeking applicants engaged in a range of educational pursuits including MFA programs, apprenticeships, long term residencies and fellowships, craft/technical programs, and informal modes of study. Artists in advanced educational programs not listed here are encouraged to apply. Submissions are free of charge.

Application:

1. 1–5 works
1. Files must be properly labeled (eg. LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_ARTWORKTITLE)
2. Accepted Media: Photos, Video, Audio Recordings
3. Time-based media must be submitted via a working video link using Youtube, Vimeo, Google Drive etc. No more than 5 minutes of footage or audio will be reviewed.
2. Written description clearly stating the content and imagery of the work and the materials 50-100 words.
3. Artist statement/ bio 200 words max.
4. Artist website / instagram

Artist Responsibilities:

• It is the responsibility of the artist to submit a complete application by the application deadline (July 10, 2026) as well as to include all required materials [1-5 images or videos accompanied by written descriptions, and a 200 word artist statement].
• Artists will need to be available for several virtual meetings (starting August 1st until final return of work) to finalize work selection, coordinate shipping, and confirm show layout. Additional communication via email may also be necessary. Responses will be expected in a timely manner.
• Artists will be responsible for working with the curators to assist in adjusting all artwork, files, and necessary materials for printing and installation of artworks.
• Artists will provide necessary documentation and written descriptions for the show catalog.
• Artists will sign an Artwork Release Form for non-UCLA students, as well any other legally required documentation as necessary.
• Artist will retain the copyright of the artwork.
• Failure to meet the expectations above may result in the removal from the exhibition.

Project Timeline:
Application Submission Deadline: Friday July 10, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. (PST)
Artist(s) Selected and notified: Monday August 3, 2026
Project(s) Installed: Wednesday September 16, 2026
Programing Timeline: June 17 – October 15 2026

• Show Opening: Wednesday September 23, 2026
• Show Closing: Thursday October 8, 2026

Curatorial Intention

Over the past two decades, the concept of fugitivity has influenced countless curators and artists. We understand fugitivity – with the help of Black scholars including Saidiya Hartman, Fred Moten, and Stefano Harney and others – as movement toward freedom carried out by those working within or alongside structures of oppression.

Fugitivity refuses that which has been refused	consents to being more than one
pursues the mistake	is unprofessional, illegible, opaque, unbearable
improvises, provisionally, temporarily, inadequately, persistently	is the choreography of the undercommons
denies neither horror nor beauty	is the vibrant life that precedes and surrounds the enclosure of authoritarian power.
bears the cruel present, in pursuit of the beyond

With this exhibition and the accompanying programming we utilize the institution of UCLA as a medium for the practice of freedom. We are interested in artworks that embody fugitivity whether in content, methodology, or otherwise. We encourage work that challenges the traditional white cube context; artwork that refuses categorization within the disciplinary norms of the western art canon; that invites us to inhabit worlds shaped by forces other than violence, greed, and the illusion of power. We are seeking works that address questions left unasked by the forces of political violence, environmental destruction and propaganda lined up against members of the undercommons. A successful exhibition will be one that finds profound links between artists worldwide who are working toward the embodiment of freedom.

This call is open to individuals whose practice and research involves ideas pertaining to diaspora, migration, and exile.

In addition to the exhibition, we will host a summer reading club (virtual) as well as in-person talks featuring leading scholars on the topic of fugitivity during the run of the show. We will make programming available online to include international communities whenever possible.

Curator's Reading List

• The Undercommons by Stefano Harney and Fred Moten
• Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route by Saidiya Hartman
• Fugitive Justice by Stephen Best and Saidiya Hartman
• Listening to Images by Tina Campt
• "Anarcho-Blackness," by Marquis Bey
• "The Nation of No Nation" by William C Anderson
• The Anarchism of Blackness by William C. Anderson and Zoé Samudzi

Contact: Please email newwightbiennial2026@gmail.com if you have any further questions.

New Wight Gallery
Broad Art Center, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Gallery Hours:
Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The exhibition program of the New Wight Gallery is made possible by the generous support of Dallas Price-Van Breda.