The past is not static, nor is it distant. It is an active, evolving presence and influence in the world of contemporary art, shaping our fluid understanding of society, identity, and culture.

Theme Overview:

The Past Perfect / Present Tense Open Call and resulting exhibition will explore the dynamic interplay between representations of culture in the past and the present as portrayed through a contemporary lens. 

Theme Description:

For this open call, we invite you to submit art that shows how the past continues to inform, energize, and challenge the present, artwork that draws on and reinterprets the rich legacies of past art movements, masters, and genres, and creates a dialogue between what has come before and the moment we are in now. Art references might include revisited techniques, styles, materials, ideologies or moments that inform and enrich contemporary narratives.

Possible Interpretations:

• Reinterpretation of Genres or Styles: Artists draw from the visual language of the past, embracing and reimagining iconic art movements like Cubism, Surrealism, Minimalism, and others. Their works act as both homage and critique, asking what history means in the context of a rapidly changing world.

• Material and Technique: Whether employing traditional methods such as oil painting, sculpture, or printmaking, or embracing digital technologies, these artists explore how materials and techniques can bridge time, creating something both timeless and timely.

• Cultural Memory and Identity: Many of the works interrogate how past cultural movements shape contemporary identities. These artists grapple with history’s enduring influence on race, gender, and politics, while exploring the ways art can act as a form of memory and collective consciousness.

• The Legacy of Masterpieces: The exhibition also explores how contemporary artists engage with, deconstruct, and even pay homage to past masterworks, giving new life to old ideas.