Organizer Information
CICA Museum (Czong Institute for Contemporary Art) is a leading independent art museum and cultural laboratory based in Gimpo, South Korea. Operating as a vibrant showcase for global contemporary art, digital culture, and experimental media, the museum fosters critical dialogue and connects innovative creative practitioners worldwide with East Asia's dynamic art landscape.
Title & Description
“Message” International Exhibition.
CICA Museum invites artists from all corners of the globe to submit their work for a curated group exhibition that deeply investigates communication, language, perception, meaning, and contemporary social and cultural contexts. The exhibition serves as a dedicated platform for artwork that questions the roles of language and symbols, examines personal and collective forms of dialogue, and explores the layered relationships among media, memory, technology, and social interaction.
Category & Technical Installation Guidelines:
To accommodate diverse creative methodologies, the exhibition tracks entries into three core categories, each governed by specific on-site installation architectures:
- 1. Photographs & 2D Digital Art Track: Selected digital works will be printed in standard formats of 10×15 or 10×10 inches, professionally framed, and installed by the CICA Museum team. Artists may request custom printing and framing in alternative sizes, though additional structural fees may apply.
- 2. Video & Interactive Art Track: CICA Museum provides the necessary projectors and media players for the showcase. Multiple single-channel submissions will be screened alternately via a shared projector. If a project requires exclusive use of a projector or requires more than two monitors/projectors, these special technical requirements must be explicitly declared in the submission email (additional fees may apply).
- 3. Physical Works Track (Painting, Drawing, Print, Sculpture, & Installation Art): The artist holds full logistical and financial responsibility for organizing and funding the round-trip shipment and delivery of their physical work to and from the museum. Works must comply with the following size and weight constraints:
- Two-Dimensional Works: No larger than 39 inches (1 meter) on the longest side.
- Three-Dimensional Installations: No larger than 39x39x79 inches (1 x 1 x 2 meters, w x l x h).
- Wall-Mounted Works: Must not exceed a maximum weight of 10 kg.
- Note: Artists interested in exhibiting pieces exceeding these limits must indicate their spatial requirements within the submission email for review.
Categories
- Photography / 2D Digital Art,
- New Media / Video & Interactive Art,
- Sculpture / Installation Art,
- and Painting / Drawing / Printmaking.
Eligibility
- Global Reach: Open to contemporary visual artists, photographers, digital creators, filmmakers, performance practitioners, and sculptors worldwide.
- Aesthetic Backgrounds: Welcomes diverse backgrounds and disciplines, spanning photography, 2D digital art, video art, performance art, web art, interactive art, sculpture, painting, and installation art.
Program Benefits and Exhibition Context:
- International Museum Showcase: Presentation of selected work within the curated "Message" physical group exhibition at CICA Museum from December 2 to December 20, 2026.
- In-House Production Logistics: Hassle-free local printing, framing, and installation handled entirely by the museum team for 2D digital and photography tracks.
- Hardware Scaffolding: Access to the museum's professional multimedia projection equipment and media players for lens-based and digital entries.
Fees & Exhibition Maintenance Costs
- Application Submission Fee: None (Completely free to submit your portfolio for initial consideration).
- Selected Artist Maintenance Contribution: If an artwork is successfully selected by the curatorial panel, the artist must contribute a mandatory processing fee of $78 USD (or 110,000 KRW) per piece to offset show processing and gallery maintenance expenses.
Application Requirements
Dossiers must be compiled in English and transmitted directly via email to the selection desk. Shared external cloud folders (such as Google Drive or Dropbox) without direct asset viewing links will not pass review. Submissions require:
- Visual Assets: Up to 5 JPG images representing your project (a file size of 100–500KB per image is recommended).
- Moving-Image Links: Up to 3 direct hyperlinks to view video or digital media art files online.
- Artist Biography: A concise professional resume or bio summary tracking your artistic trajectory.
- Mandatory Subject Line Header: The email subject line must follow a strict formatting convention:
- Subject Template:
Submission: Message – Category – Artist’s Name
- Subject Template:
How to Apply?
Format your portfolio files or video links, draft your professional bio statement, construct your email heading following the category rules, and dispatch your application packet directly to the museum's submission desk.
Key Dates
- Application Submission Deadline: Friday, June 19, 2026.
- Exhibition Dates: December 2 – December 20, 2026 (Note: Exhibition timelines are subject to institutional change).
Location
South Korea, Gimpo (CICA Museum)
Additional Details
The selection dynamic is managed internally by CICA Museum’s panel of curators and arts professionals who evaluate folders based on visual clarity and conceptual alignment with the core axes of message, memory, and technology. For digital artists, the museum's automated team handling of local printing, framing, and installation provides a highly seamless, cross-border exhibition pipeline.