Memory: What Remains – International Photography Open Call 2026 - artinfo
Submit up to three original photographic works (single images or cohesive series) exploring memory, remembrance, preservation, loss, history, identity, and traces left behind.
Does this fit your work? 5 questions score every call to your medium, location and budget. Free.
Get matched →- Deadline
- 11 days left
- Entry fee
- $15
- Award
- Inclusion in curated online exhibition, permanent online archive placement, professional presentation with artist credit, website and email newsletter promotion, social media exposure, and opportunity to receive sales inquiries.
- Location
- TCG Gallery, New York City, United States
- Exhibition window
- Sep 1, 2026 → Sep 30, 2026
- Applicants notified
- Aug 25, 2026
About
Overview
Memory: What Remains is an international photography open call exploring the complex relationship between photography and memory. TCG Gallery, an independent online photography gallery based in New York City, invites photographers and lens-based artists worldwide to submit work that reflects on remembrance, preservation, loss, history, identity, and traces left behind by people, places, and experiences. Approximately 35 images will be selected for a professionally curated online exhibition with permanent online archive inclusion.
Theme & Interpretation
The exhibition investigates the tension between permanence and impermanence in photography. The theme may be interpreted through personal memories, family histories, cultural heritage, collective memory, nostalgia, migration, identity, archives, abandoned places, domestic spaces, landscapes, rituals, grief, aging, architecture, and imagined or reconstructed memories. Literal interpretations are not required; conceptual and experimental approaches are equally encouraged.
Eligibility
- International; open to photographers and visual artists worldwide, 18 years or older
- Must submit original artwork created by yourself
- Must own all rights to submitted images
- Work must not infringe copyright, privacy, publicity, or third-party rights
- AI-created or substantially AI-altered work not eligible
- Cannot accept submissions from locations subject to U.S. sanctions or payment-processing restrictions
What to Submit
Submit up to three original photographic works as individual images or cohesive series. Eligible media include digital photography, film photography, alternative photographic processes, documentary photography, fine art photography, conceptual photography, experimental photography, and mixed-media photographic works. There are no restrictions on production year or print size. Image descriptions are optional but recommended.
Application Fee & Waivers
Entry fee is USD $15, covering submission of up to three images. Artists may submit multiple entries by paying additional entry fees. Fee waivers are available for artists experiencing financial hardship on an honor system; contact the gallery before submitting to request one.
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 20 August 2026
- Artist Notification: 25 August 2026
- Online Exhibition: 1 September – 30 September 2026
Selection & Benefits
Selection is based on image quality, originality, thematic relevance, and overall exhibition cohesion. Blind review is used whenever possible to ensure fairness. Selected artists receive inclusion in the curated online exhibition, permanent online archive placement, professional presentation with artist name and credit, website and email newsletter promotion, social media exposure, and opportunity to receive sales inquiries.
Sales & Commission
Artists may choose whether or not to offer their works for sale. For artworks sold through TCG Gallery, the gallery retains a 30% commission, while artists receive the remaining proceeds.
- Award
- Inclusion in curated online exhibition, permanent online archive placement, professional presentation with artist credit, website and email newsletter promotion, social media exposure, and opportunity to receive sales inquiries.
- Entry fee
- Entry fee USD $15 covers submission of up to three images. Fee waivers available for artists experiencing financial hardship upon request.
- Entries per artist
- Up to 3
- Sales commission
- Organizer retains 30% on sales
- Theme
- Memory: What Remains explores the complex relationship between photography and memory, inviting artists to investigate the tension between permanence and impermanence. The theme may be interpreted through personal memories, family histories, cultural heritage, collective memory, nostalgia, migration, identity, archives, abandoned places, domestic spaces, landscapes, rituals, grief, aging, architecture, and imagined or reconstructed memories; conceptual and experimental approaches are equally encouraged.
- Eligibility
- International; open to photographers and visual artists worldwide, 18 years or older, who own all rights to their work and can confirm it does not infringe copyright, privacy, or third-party rights. AI-created or substantially AI-altered work not eligible.
- Audience
- International, photographers and lens-based artists 18 years or older from around the world.
Every listing links to the organizer's official page. Always confirm deadlines, fees, and entry rules there before you apply.