(In)visible: Belonging

Mischievous Troll Alert (detail) by Jill Hayman

(In)visible: Belonging

An online exhibition for d/Deaf, Hard of Hearing (HOH) and disabled artists

Entries close: midnight Monday 2 November 2020
Exhibition: 3 December 2020 – 31 January 2021

Enter now

We consider disability to be a multi-layered experience and invite all artists throughout Australia, at any level of artistic experience, who identify as disabled, d/Deaf, HOH, chronically ill, neurodiverse or who have lived experience of mental health issues to respond to the theme of (In)Visible: Belonging.

Many people in the community have found themselves ‘socially, culturally and politically isolated, ignored, invisible and silent’ (Shout Out Report, 2009). This exhibition aims to create a sense of shared identity and belonging and give disability a positive, vibrant and visible presence.

Belco Arts want to promote dialogue about the presence of disability in our lives and create positive alternatives to the widespread negative perceptions of what it means to live with disability. We invite artists to consider what disability means to them as individuals and as a community.

We invite artists to explore their ideas thoughtfully, radically, or somewhere in between. We welcome contributions from all viewpoints, using painting, printmaking, photography, drawing or mixed medium on paper. Artists working in any stage of their creative practice are welcomed to explore this theme.

If you have any questions or require further information please contact Penny Pollard, IGNITE Programs Officer at penny@belcoarts.com.au.

Conditions of Entry

  • This is a curated exhibition for artists who identify as disabled, d/Deaf, HOH, chronically ill, neurodiverse or who have lived experience of mental health issues. Artists from throughout Australia may enter works.
  • Artists may enter up to a maximum of three works.
  • Entry is FREE.
  • The works must be the original work of the entering artist.
  • The works must have been created within the last year.
  • The works must relate to the theme (In)Visible: Belonging.
  • The works may be in any medium on paper in a 2D format.
  • Works can be landscape or portrait in orientation.
  • Selected works will need to be exhibited for the full duration of the online exhibition.
  • The works must not be offensive, discriminatory, or otherwise hurtful in nature. Works that are considered offensive, discriminatory, or otherwise hurtful in nature will not be displayed. 
  • All works submitted will be reviewed and considered for the exhibition. This is a curated exhibition and Belco Arts reserves the right not to exhibit works.
  • Artists are responsible for ensuring we receive images of their work. Instructions on how to send images are located on the entry confirmation email.
  • Images must not be smaller than 1MB in size.
  • Image must be in either of our preferred formats: .jpg or .png
  • Permission must be given for images of the work to be included in the online exhibition.
  • Entries and images must be received no later than 11:59pm Monday 2 November 2020.
  • All artists will be notified whether their work has been included in the exhibition or not by email or text by Friday 6 November 2020.

If selected for exhibition:

  • Artworks may be for sale. Please note that all works incur a 30% commission fee and 10% GST.
  • If artists would like their work for sale, they will be required to post or deliver works to Belconnen Arts Centre prior to the commencement of the exhibition.