Organizer Information
The Institute for Applied Creativity (IAC) at the College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts (PVFA), Texas A&M University, is an interdisciplinary research and production forum dedicated to experimentation across art, science, and emerging technologies. The institute promotes collaborative methodologies that merge analytical, intuitive, and experimental approaches to creative production, with a strong emphasis on technological innovation and future-oriented artistic practice.
The call is organized in collaboration with the Art Center of Brazos Valley, a long-established non-profit arts organization in Texas that supports regional cultural development, exhibitions, and public engagement programs. Together, these institutions position the exhibition within both academic research and community-based art infrastructures, bridging institutional innovation with public-facing artistic programming.
Title & Description
Aberrant Creativity 2026 — International AI Art Exhibition
Aberrant Creativity is a juried international Exhibition exploring the evolving relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence. Hosted at Texas A&M University, the exhibition examines how generative systems, machine learning, and computational processes are reshaping artistic authorship, imagination, and production.
The central premise of the exhibition is not whether artists should engage with AI, but how they can engage critically, creatively, and on their own terms. The project positions AI not as a replacement for human creativity, but as a collaborative system—an active participant in the artistic process that can function as a medium, provocateur, or conceptual counterpoint.
Artists are invited to explore hybrid creative systems in which human intention and machine computation intersect. The exhibition encourages works that challenge conventional definitions of authorship, originality, and artistic agency, while also reflecting on the philosophical and cultural implications of machine-assisted creation.
Inspired by theoretical frameworks such as Deleuze’s concept of the machine as a site of becoming and J.C.R. Licklider’s vision of man–computer symbiosis, the exhibition proposes AI as a responsive system shaped by human input. Works may reflect collaboration, tension, speculation, or critique, but must demonstrate an active dialogue between human and machine intelligence.
This international open call includes both professional artists and students and encourages experimental approaches across multiple media formats.
Categories
- Digital Art
- Generative Art
- Installation
- Video/Film
- New Media
- Multimedia
- Interactive Media
- Virtual / Augmented / Mixed Reality
- Game-Based Art
- Sculpture
- Photography
- Printmaking
Eligibility
- Open to international artists worldwide
- Applicants must incorporate artificial intelligence or machine learning in their creative process
- Works must demonstrate collaboration between human authorship and AI systems
- Two submission tracks:
- Professional Artists
- College-Level Students
- Open to interdisciplinary practitioners across visual arts, media arts, and computational practices
- All works must be original and not infringe copyright laws
Program Benefits & Awards
- Inclusion in a juried international Exhibition in the United States
- Best in Show Award: $800
- Creative Process Award: $500
- Best Student Category Award: $300
- Physical exhibition presentation at a major institutional venue
- Inclusion in a parallel online Online Exhibition (virtual twin)
- Institutional visibility within Texas A&M University’s research ecosystem
- Exposure to curators, scholars, and interdisciplinary audiences
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Completed online submission form
- Artwork documentation (digital files depending on medium)
- Description of AI involvement in the creative process
- Technical specifications of the work
- Artist statement explaining concept, process, and use of AI
- Portfolio (if applicable)
- Category selection (Professional or Student track)
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 June 2026
- Notification Date: 17 July 2026
- Artwork Delivery Deadline: 10 August 2026
- Exhibition Period: August 25 – October 17, 2026
Location
Texas, United States
Additional Details
This exhibition situates AI not as an autonomous creator but as a co-creative system embedded within human artistic practice. It encourages critical engagement with questions of authorship, intention, and machine agency.
A key component of the exhibition is its dual-format presentation: a physical institutional exhibition accompanied by a synchronized virtual version, expanding accessibility and global reach.
The program emphasizes experimental, interdisciplinary, and technology-driven practices, reflecting the broader mission of the College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts to integrate creative practice with computational and scientific research domains.
Artists are encouraged to treat AI systems not as tools alone, but as collaborative agents that shape form, narrative, and conceptual direction within the work.