THEMATIC CALL
#Banana Slips
DEADLINE
March 15, 2026
#Banana Slips
THEMATIC CALL
A banana peel is a minor residue, easy to miss, yet it can trigger imbalance, interruption, and deviation from the intended path. Banana Slips invites artists to begin from that small rupture, attending to failure, absurdity, misuse, risk, embarrassment, slipping, and subtle disruptions of everyday order, and to translate the image into work with contemporary relevance and critical depth.
DEADLINE
March 15, 2026
THE CALL
A banana peel often exists only in a fleeting, overlooked moment:consumed, discarded, stepped on. It is a trivial residue, and the starting point of an accident.
A loss of bodily balance, a rupture in order, a deviation from an intended path. Banana Slips takes the banana peel as an entry point to invite artists to attend to things and moments that appear insignificant yet actively intervene in reality:
failure, absurdity, embarrassment, risk, misuse, slipping, or subtle disruptions of everyday order.
The banana peel is both object and metaphor,
a trace left after consumption, a bodily reaction that precedes rational thought, and a site where systems reveal themselves through minor cracks.
We are interested in how artists misread, magnify, dismantle, or redefine this image, transforming it into works with contemporary relevance and critical depth.
This Open Call focuses on works that can be presented through screens, publications, or digital media, including but not limited to:
Video works / experimental films / screen-based works
Photography and moving image series
Digital art / web-based works / AI-related practices
Documentation of performance, actions, or installations (image and/or text-based)
Sound works (with visual or screen-presentable formats)
Image–text hybrid works
Cross-media and experimental practices
Eligibility (Who Can Apply)
Artists, designers, filmmakers, and research-based creators
Open to students, emerging practitioners, and established artists
Individual or collective submissions accepted
No restrictions on nationality, age, or location
No prior exhibition or publication experience required
Timeline (When)
Application open: February 1
Application deadline: March 15, 12:00 AM
Review period: Mid-March – Mid-April
Results announcement: Mid-April – Early May
Submission Guidelines (How to Submit)
Work Requirements
Original works only, with no copyright disputes
Creation date unrestricted, but works must relate to the theme
Up to 3 works per applicant
Required Materials
Work files or presentation links
Work description / artist statement (Chinese or English, max. 500 words)
Artist bio (max. 150 words)
Copyright statement confirming originality
Recommended File Formats
Images: JPG / PNG, 300 dpi
Video: MP4, 1080p
Audio: MP3 / WAV (if applicable)
Documents: PDF
Single file size should not exceed 2GB (larger files via online links)
How to Apply
Please submit via the designated submission page on the ELSEHERE official website.
The submission link will be announced simultaneously on the website. Please follow the online instructions to complete your submission.
Application Fee
To support platform operations, review processes, and archival work, a submission fee is required.
Fee: $20
Please note:
Submission fees are non-refundable
Payment does not guarantee selection or participation
Fees will not be refunded for incomplete or non-compliant submissions
What We Are Looking For
Clarity of direction
We look for submissions, proposals, and expressions of interest that show a clear sense of purpose, context, and relation to the opportunity.
Rigor and care
We value work that is thoughtfully developed, carefully presented, and attentive to the responsibilities of artistic, scholarly, editorial, or public-facing practice.
Distinct perspective
We are interested in voices, practices, and proposals that bring a specific position, method, language, or field of experience into view.
Openness to complexity
ELSEHERE welcomes work that can hold tension, ambiguity, research, experimentation, and layered meaning without becoming vague or unfocused.
Relevance to context
Each opportunity has its own framework. We encourage applicants and contributors to read the full call carefully and consider how their work, experience, or proposal enters that specific context.
Before You Submit
Please review the full opportunity description before submitting. Each call, program, or expression of interest may have its own eligibility, format, deadline, review process, and required materials.
Depending on the opportunity, you may be asked to provide:
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basic contact and professional information
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a short bio or practice statement
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a project description, proposal, manuscript, work sample, or statement of interest
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links to relevant work, publications, portfolios, websites, or profiles
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technical, spatial, editorial, or contextual information where applicable
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any additional materials requested in the specific call
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Please submit materials that are clear, relevant, and carefully selected. Strong submission materials do not need to be excessive. They should help us understand the work, practice, experience, or proposal on its own terms and in relation to the opportunity.
Incomplete, unclear, or unrelated submissions may be difficult to review.
Review & Consideration
Submissions and expressions of interest are reviewed according to the specific purpose of each opportunity.
Depending on the context, review may consider artistic strength, conceptual clarity, scholarly rigor, editorial fit, feasibility, field expertise, language capacity, professional experience, public relevance, and alignment with ELSEHERE or STRATUM’s current programs and publication priorities.
Selection, invitation, publication, or participation is not guaranteed. Some opportunities may involve further communication, additional materials, interviews, technical review, editorial review, or confirmation before final decisions are made.
ELSEHERE approaches review as a process of attention, not only selection. We are interested in how artistic, scholarly, and cultural practices may enter wider fields of relation, publication, public presentation, and future development.
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