12/09/2025
ART GAL : BLK IRL {Black In Real Life}
A Virtual Exhibition of Self-Reflection, Resilience, and Communal Beauty
Across generations and throughout the diaspora, people of African lineage have faced erasure, distorted imagery, limiting stories and untruths about who we are. Despite these struggles, we continue to create our own narratives, in our truth–written, played, painted–on our faces and in our bodies; with our language and style; in our group chats and on our timelines; on the frontlines; in real life.
ART GAL: BLK IRL is a digital exhibition centered on now: how we see ourselves, how we hold each other, and how we choose to live in this moment as Black folx, worldwide. This call invites artwork that affirms Black life as it is today: complex, everyday, sacred, tender, joyful, tired, healing, still redefining, still thriving.
ART GAL is seeking artworks that engage with:
Self-reflection and honest self-portraiture (literal or symbolic)
Personal resilience: how you keep going, adapt, rest, and restart
Positive self-image and body image that honors real Black lives and features
Communal image: how we see each other, uplift each other, and show up together
Living in the present moment: groundedness, mindfulness, and being “here” now
Everyday Black life: small rituals, routines, softness, laughter, care work
Healing from internalized racism, colorism, texturism, and shame
Joy, play, and imagination as forms of resistance and self-definition
Your work can be subtle, loud, abstract, figurative, spiritual, humorous, or deeply intimate, as long as it is in conversation with self-reflection, resilience, positive image, and the present realities of Black life.
Who Can Submit
Open to artists worldwide
Priority to Black and Afro-diasporic artists (Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx/Latine, Afro-European, Afro-Arab, continental Africans, Black folks across the globe)
Must be 18+
Accepted Media (2D Media Only)
All submissions must be suitable for online presentation:
Suitable for online presentation
Two Dimensional Artworks
Scanned or photographed at high resolution
No physical shipments. All work is presented in digital form
Submission Guidelines
While a minimum of 3 is required, each artist may submit up to 6 works for consideration.
Please include:
Artwork Files
JPG / PNG
72dpi, 16:9, 9:16, and 1:1 / Minimum 1920px on the longest side
Artwork Details (for each piece)
Artist-ArtTitle-Medium-Year-Size
Brief description (50–150 words)
Artist Info
Name and/or artist name
Location (City, Country)
Artist Bio (150 word max)
Email + Website and/or social media
Short Artist Statement
150–200 words on how your practice engages self-reflection, resilience, positive self/communal image, and/or living in the present moment as a Black person or within Black communities
Art Shop
Selected artists will have an opportunity to sell their artwork.
Submission Schedule
Call Opens: 12/8/25
Submission Deadline: 12/21/25 11:59 PM / 23:59 PST
Selected Artists will be notified by: January 15, 2026
Opening Reception: TBA February 2026
Exhibit Runs: February-April 2026
How to Submit
Visit [ ARTGAL.LA/ARTCALL ] to complete the submission form.
Questions? contact:
IG :
EMAIL : [email protected]
