Naturalist Gallery Square Format Collection

Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art is conducting a curatorial review for the Square Format Collection. Selected works will be presented online as part of a structured collection examining compositional structure, spatial balance, and formal constraint within square-format contemporary artworks. Accepted works will be listed for sale within the collection for a minimum duration of sixty (60) days.

OPEN CALL FOR COLLECTION: Naturalist Gallery Square Format Collection

“Order is the shape upon which beauty depends.” – Pearl S. Buck

The square format occupies a distinctive position within artistic practice because of its equal dimensions and resistance to conventional directional hierarchy. Unlike horizontal and vertical formats, the square creates a balanced spatial field in which composition, tension, symmetry, and visual movement must operate within equal boundaries.

The Square Format Collection at Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art examines how contemporary artists engage the square as a formal and conceptual framework. Works may emphasize symmetry, imbalance, modularity, repetition, spatial compression, abstraction, figuration, or other strategies shaped by the square format.

Submissions are reviewed with attention to conceptual coherence, formal decision-making, and the relationship between image construction and format. Evaluation considers how the square operates as an active structural condition within the work rather than as an incidental dimension.

This call is open internationally to artists working in all visual media, excluding video.

Exhibition Inclusion

Artists whose works are selected through curatorial review will be included in the Square Format Collection. Exhibition inclusion constitutes the primary curatorial outcome of this call.

Selected works will:

• be documented and archived as part of the Square Format Collection

• be presented within the exhibition’s public presentation for a minimum of sixty (60) days

• be made available for sale under Naturalist Gallery’s net pricing model

Optional Institutional Placements
In addition to exhibition inclusion, selected artists may be considered for optional institutional placements within Naturalist Gallery’s broader curatorial framework. These placements are discretionary and not guaranteed.

Available placements may include:
Featured Collection Placement – Selected works may be presented within the NGCA Featured Collection on the gallery’s homepage for a limited duration. Additional fee applies.
New Arrivals Curated Placement – Selected works may be included in the New Arrivals collection documenting recently reviewed artists. Additional fee applies.
Institutional Publication Inclusion – Selected artists may be considered for inclusion in a formally authored editorial publication. Additional fee applies.

Review Process
All submissions are reviewed by a panel consisting of members of Naturalist Gallery’s curatorial team. All submissions are reviewed; not all are advanced to public presentation.

Application Fee
Artists submitting work for review are required to pay a one-time application fee of $30.

TIMELINE:
Application Opens: 10/26/26

Application Deadline: 11/2/26

Jury Dates: 10/26/26 – 11/3/26

Exhibition Dates: 11/3/26 – 1/2/27

[Minimum of 1 Artwork]

[Maximum of 20 Artworks]

Submissions are open internationally to established and emerging artists aged 18 years or older.

All visual art media are eligible, excluding video.