Worn Forms

Overview

CISTA ARTS invites artists, jewellers, designers, and makers to submit work for Worn Forms, an online exhibition exploring jewellery as small-scale, portable sculpture. Moving beyond the decorative, this exhibition considers jewellery as a site of artistic inquiry, where form, material, scale, and meaning converge in objects carried on the body. Whether abstract or figurative, minimalist or intricate, wearable or challenging conventional notions of wearability, the works selected will highlight jewellery's unique position between sculpture, object, and personal experience.

Theme

The exhibition welcomes contemporary interpretations of jewellery that engage with ideas of identity, memory, place, the body, material experimentation, social narratives, and cultural heritage. Artists working across traditional and non-traditional materials are encouraged to apply. Worn Forms seeks works that demonstrate how sculpture can exist in intimate scale—objects that travel with us, become part of our daily lives, and transform the relationship between artwork and wearer.

Key Dates

• Submission Deadline: 22 August 2026
• Exhibition Dates: 15 September - 15 October 2026

Submission Guidelines

• Contact information (full name, email, mobile)
• Details of the artworks (title, size, medium, year, price)
• Artist statement (max 100 words on how your work relates to the theme)
• Short biography (max 100 words, third-person)
• Up to 4 sample images of your work
• Only two artworks per artist will be selected for exhibition

Image Submission Note

As this exhibition focuses on jewellery as an artistic and sculptural practice, applicants are encouraged to submit photographs that present their work as artworks rather than commercial products. Creative and conceptually considered images that reflect the character, materiality, and sculptural presence of the piece are welcome. Studio shots, installation-style photographs, still-life compositions, or other artistic presentations are encouraged. Standard product photography and commercial model shots should be kept to a minimum.

What Selected Participants Receive

• Exhibition of your work on the CISTA ARTS online platform (15 September - 15 October 2026)
• Inclusion in a professionally produced paperback catalogue (UK-based) + complimentary PDF copy
• No commission taken on sales
• Daily social media features in the Meet the Artist series
• Exhibition placement on homepage + archived access after close
• Direct links to your website or social media in all features
• Certificate of participation

Participation Fee

Applying to this exhibition opportunity is free. If your work is accepted: £30 for one accepted artwork or £50 for two accepted artworks.

Eligibility

Artists of all mediums and from all countries are welcome to apply, including painters, sculptors, photographers, designers, and video artists.