Call for Artists


VIVA Alliance is accepting works to be considered for its 3rd Annual Exhibition in September 2025. Please see below for a description of the exhibition concept as well as submission criteria and guidelines.

 

Exhibition concept: On Origin Stories

Exhibition dates: September 3-10, 2025

Exhibition venue: The Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre, Exhibition Hall

An artist fee will be paid to all selected artists, with additional compensation for those invited to participate in artist talks

Artist Call Closing Date Extended to Monday June 23, 2025 11:59pm

On This Page

Concept Description

On Origin Stories

From creation myths to scientific accounts of genesis, from family lore to the backstories of our favourite literary characters, origin stories have fascinated humanity and inspired artists throughout history. These narrative constructs frame our identities and world views. Stories of where and how we began can forge the common ground for cultures and communities, or they can fuel division and conflict when contested. Origin stories are best conceptualized not as fixed truths, but as complex products of experience, imagination, and artifice that are continually recycled, re-interpreted, replaced, and revised as we evolve.

What do our foundational myths say about us? How does art examine, represent, or create formative events or ideas that shape our times? For the 3rd Annual VIVA Exhibition, we invite visual artists to explore beginnings or watershed moments—whether factual or fictional, personal or collective, historical or speculative. Participating artists are encouraged to interpret this concept in the context of their own experience and practice.

:داستان‌های آغازین

از اساطیر آفرینش تا روایت‌های علمیِ پیدایش جهان، از حکایت‌ های خانوادگی تا پیشینهٔ قهرمانان محبوب ادبیات، داستان‌های آغازین همواره ذهن بشر را مجذوب و هنرمندان را الهام‌ بخشیده است. این سازه‌های روایی چارچوب هویت‌ ها و جهان‌ بینی ما را می‌سازند؛ روایتِ خاستگاه‌ ها می‌تواند زمینۀ مشترکی برای فرهنگ‌ها و جوامع فراهم آورد یا، در صورت تعارض، موجب گسست شود. داستان‌های آغازین را نباید حقیقتی ثابت پنداشت؛ بلکه آمیزه‌ای پیچیده از تجربه و تخیل‌اند که در گذر زمان پیوسته بازآفرینی، بازخوانی و بازنگری می‌شوند

اسطوره‌های بنیادین در مورد ما چه می‌گویند؟ هنر چگونه ایده‌های شکل‌دهندۀ روزگار ما را می‌کاود، بازنمایی می‌کند یا می‌آفریند؟ مؤسسه فرهنگی هنری ویوا در سومین نمایشگاه سالانهٔ ویوا از هنرمندان دعوت می‌کند تا به کاوش یا تخیلِ آغازها و لحظات تعیین کننده بپردازند—چه واقعی یا خیالی، فردی یا جمعی، تاریخی یا آینده‌نگر

The Jury Panel

  • Photo by Lia Crowe

    Charles Campbell

    Charles Campbell is a Jamaican born interdisciplinary artist, writer and curator based on lək̓ʷəŋən territory, Victoria BC. Using sculpture, sound, installation and performance, his work pulls at the threads of time. Finding channels into the past and future Campbell reconstructs broken somatic, communal and spiritual connections, creating spaces of solace and meaning for all of us living in the wake of slavery and colonization. His most recent work recreates the submerged terrain where African and North American tectonic plates converge, bringing us in proximity to the realm of spirits lost in hundreds of years of forced Atlantic crossings.

    Campbell’s artworks have been exhibited widely in the Caribbean, Canada and internationally. Recent exhibitions include The Other Side of Now (Perez Art Museum Miami), How Not to Be Seen (Remai Modern), Vancouver Special, Fragments of Epic Memory (Art Gallery of Ontario) and How many colours has the sea (The Power Plant Gallery). Campbell is the recipient of numerous awards and holds an MA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College and a BFA from Concordia University.

    Photo by Lia Crowe

  • Iman Raad

    Iman Raad (b. 1979, Mashhad, Iran) is a New York-based visual artist, graphic designer, and educator. He holds an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University, and teaches at the Cooper Union School of Art.

    Raad works across a variety of media, including painting, drawing, embroidery, graphic work and performance lectures.  His work has been featured in several books including The Phaidon archive of 500 designs that matter and his art practice acknowledged in a variety of media including The New York Times, Artspace and art21. Recent exhibitions include the 58th Carnegie International at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh,  the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art at QAGOMA in Brisbane, group shows at  the British Museum in London, the Centro Cultural La Moneda in Santiago, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. He has exhibited with Dastan Gallery in Tehran, Josh Lilley in London, and Sargent’s Daughters in New York.

    Photo by Kaveh Kowsari

  • Mohsen Khalili

    Mohsen Khalili (b. 1966, Tehran) is an Iranian Canadian multidisciplinary conceptual artist based on the unceded territories of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ilwətaɬ Nations (Vancouver, BC). In a career spanning over three decades, Khalili’s works have been exhibited across Canada and internationally, including in the US, Iran, Japan, Taiwan, and Kuwait.

    Khalili’s work is largely informed by his experiences of displacement, physical disability, and isolation. His paintings and sculptures often deal with disparate visual elements struggling to belong, function, or communicate within a larger structure. While his practice is positioned in dialogue with multiple artistic traditions and techniques, Khalili’s creative process involves an instinctive and organic negotiation with the material. He draws inspiration from diverse artistic disciplines to constructing an inclusive visual language that underscores the universality of the experiences and anxieties that he depicts, offering a space for collective catharsis and shared understanding.

    Photo by Shirin Behrad

Entry Criteria

 The key criterion for entry in the 3rd Annual VIVA Exhibition is thoughtful engagement with the announced exhibition concept. Participating artist are invited to freely interpret the concept of in the context of their own perspectives, experience, and art practice.

Additional practical considerations are listed below:


Media

VIVA accepts all traditional and non-traditional genres and media.

Size restrictions

VIVA has no formal size restrictions. However, the transportation and installation of the pieces at the exhibition venue should be feasible without extreme measures or damage to the exhibition venue.

Production date

Accomplished works of art don’t expire. VIVA poses no restrictions on the production date of submitted works.

Geographic restrictions

VIVA typically accepts submissions from artists whose practice is based in BC. However, we welcome applicants from across Canada provided that logistic considerations are addressed in advance.

If the selection panel members find it necessary to view the work in-person during the selection process, we ask that the piece be available for viewing in the greater Vancouver area. In this case, the curators will contact the artist in advance and arrange visit at a mutually convenient time.

Number of works submitted by artists

We generally ask that artists submit no more than 4 works. However, we will consider series or bodies of work that consist of more than 4 interrelated pieces.

Submission Guidelines

What to Include in your submission

1. Artist’s bio and statement

  • Artist or artists’ names

  • Indicate the number of artists if multiple artists or a collective is involved

  • Artist statement(s) that describes each artist’s practice and explains how the submitted works relate to the proposed exhibition concept (350 words)

  • Artist bios and/or up-to-date CVs outlining each artist’s art education, exhibition history, and other relevant experience. Please include the contact information as well as links to social media profile, website, or online portfolio

  • Indication of whether the artists can participate in artist talks or workshops during the time of the exhibition

2. Images and/or videos of the work(s) you are submitting

Please submit a maximum of 10 high-quality digital images or video stills/links to give us a clear visual idea of your work. Detailed instructions on naming files are provided below. It is a good idea to include pictures taken from different angles and distances, so that the selection panel can consider details as well as the overall scale and presence of your work.

3. Completed submission forms

Please download and complete the Art Works Submission Form. Once completed, include this document in your application form below along with other requirements. Do not forget to add your last name to the existing filename before saving as PDF.

Please submit all files in one zipped folder.

Naming image files and documents

VIVA Alliance has specific requirements for labelling and presenting submissions. Please carefully review and implement the following instructions.

*All Text documents should be saved in PDF format.

Naming image files

Please number all image files. The number should be followed by the artist's name, the title of the work and the series captured in the image, the medium used, and the work’s dimensions in inches.

Sample: 01_LASTNAME(s)_title of work and series_medium_dimensions in inches.jpg

Naming the artist’s statement or bio

Sample: ArtistStatement_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME
Sample: ArtistBio_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME

Naming the submission form

Sample: SubmissionForm_3rdVIVA_LASTNAME

Label your zipped folder before submitting

Sample: 3rdVIVA_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME

Please do not:

  • Exceed the specified limit of images, files or word count

  • Exceed 10 MB in the total size of all attachments

  • Use hyperlinks to internet sites for images of works

  • Include plugins, extensions or other executables that need to be downloaded or installed

  • Embed images in the body of your proposal. Images should be added to your zipped folder along with other PDF files

Application Form

About The Selection Process

For the 3rd annual VIVA Exhibition we will consider visual, interactive media and performance art projects appropriate for presentation at The Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Center. A committee consisting of 2 curators and a jury panel representing local art professionals will meet over three to five sessions to review submissions and select works through consensus in the course of elimination rounds. Selected artists will be contacted by mid July 2025.

This exhibition will run for 8 days in September 2025. The opening receptions, performances, screenings, and talks are coordinated independently or in conjunction with the exhibition, held either in-person or online.

 

How do you find out if your work has been selected

VIVA will send out notifications informing you of the result by mid July 2025.

If the panel finds it necessary to view the work in-person, the curators will contact the artist to arrange a convenient time for a studio visit.

Accessibility considerations

We do not expect all artists to be familiar with accessible practices. However, VIVA prioritizes the accessibility of exhibition for artists and visitors with diverse abilities; the VIVA team is equipped to offer artists the means to enhance the accessibility of the exhibition as appropriate.

Delivery and return of works

• The accepted works should be hand-delivered to the exhibition venue on September 2, 2025. If this is not possible, the artist is responsible to arrange for an alternative delivery method in advance.

• Works should be picked up from the exhibition venue on September 11, 2025.

• More detailed information will be released closer to the exhibition date.

Sale of artworks

Artworks are not required to be offered for sale in order to be included in the exhibitions.

Once the notice of acceptance is sent out, VIVA will circulate instructions to:

• Indicate whether or not the artist wishes to make their work available for sale

• Set prices for the works they wish to offer for sale

VIVA will retain a commission of 30% on the sale price of artworks sold during the exhibition.

FAQs

  • Our team may select up to 20 artists for the 3rd Annual Exhibition from our submissions according to the curatorial vision for the exhibition.

  • No, at this time, the scope of the Annual VIVA Exhibition is limited to Canadian artists.

  • The selection process is conducted by a committee consisting of 2 curators and a jury panel representing local art professionals.

  • Some of the most important criteria for selection are:

    A. Overall artistic merit

    B. Technique and skillful execution

    C. Thematic depth and relevance

    Consideration of other factors concerning feasibility is also important in making a selection. This may include practical considerations such as preparation and installation requirements, exhibition space limitations, accessibility concerns, atypical insurance expenses, and the organization’s financial or human resources.

    VIVA Alliance will not respond to inquiries about the outcome of the selection process. However, the team may reach out to offer constructive feedback when they have specific input that could help improve the proposed project for future opportunities.

  • VIVA Alliance will host an opening reception, produce promotional material for the exhibition, provide installation services, and work carefully with the artists in the professional presentation and documentation of the exhibitions. Please note that VIVA Alliance does not pay for the fabrication of artwork, framing, or material costs. If your project requires further resources than outlined here, please include all expenses in a budget sheet that entails the costs and required funding.

    Pending approval of funding for the 3rd Annual VIVA Exhibition an artist fee will be paid to all selected artists, with additional compensation for those invited to participate in artist talks.

  • The cost of shipping and handling of the artworks is the responsibility of the artist unless otherwise discussed.

  • An expanded exhibition budget requires seeking additional funding, or for the artist to bring their own funds via grants or funding from private donors and sponsors.

A note on documentation

VIVA Alliance documents all exhibitions for archiving and marketing purposes. Artists are free to document individual elements of the exhibition themselves. This documentation usually consists of digital photographs and/or videography.