Organizer Information:

Chengdu Nongyuan International Art Village. As a representative platform for contemporary art and cultural exchange in western China, the village initiates the VISUREAL International Image Art Festival (VIIAF). The festival integrates artistic production with research-driven curatorial inquiry.

Title & Description:

Applications are open for the 2026 VISUREAL International Image Art Festival (VIIAF).

The festival employs image-making as an open visual language to critically re-examine the cultural significance of the Silk Road. The conceptual theme, "Interwoven Time-Spaces: From Waystations to Nodes," explores networks of movement, exchange, and communication across history and the digital world. Selected artists will participate in a two-week creative residency in Chengdu, culminating in a three-day screening festival and a months-long Documenta Exhibition.

Category:

Image-Based Art. (Including photography, video art, short films, animation, interactive media, AI-generated imagery, and AR/VR immersive installations).

Eligibility:

  • Who: Artists and art organizations worldwide.
  • Thematic Alignment: Works must align with the conceptual theme exploring the Silk Road as a dynamic cultural field (exploring themes of memory, human mobility, material flow, or technology/networks).
  • Availability Requirement: Selected residency artists must be available to travel to Chengdu, China, for the intensive schedule in June 2026.

Program Benefits & Awards:

  • Residency Support: A structured two-week residency for creative work (including site visits, preparation, filming, and post-production).
  • Exhibition & Screening: Inclusion in the Three-Day Screening Festival and the Documenta Exhibition (running June–September).
  • Networking & Exchange: Participation in academic forums, symposia, and international workshops alongside artists from 30 countries.

Application Requirements:

Applicants must download the official Application Form from the VIIAF website.

How to Apply?

Submit the completed Application Form and your artwork submissions via email to ny20plus.project@gmail.com.

Key Dates:

  • Application Deadline: May 1, 2026.
  • Notification Date: May 1, 2026.
  • Artist Arrival in Chengdu: June 6–8, 2026. (Note: The text contains a typo listing May 6-8, but the timeline dictates June).
  • Site Visits: June 9–11, 2026.
  • Creative Residency: June 12–25, 2026.
  • Festival Opening & Screenings: June 26–28, 2026.
  • Documenta Exhibition: June 26 – September 26, 2026.

Location:

Chengdu Nongyuan International Art Village, Chengdu, China.

Contact Information:

Submission Email: ny20plus.project@gmail.com

Website & Application Form: https://viiaf.com/submissions_en/