Galeria 5ª ao Sul invites emerging and established artists worldwide to submit their work for Materialities, an international contemporary art exhibition presented online in December 2026.

The exhibition explores how matter, materials and material processes shape contemporary artistic practice across physical, digital and hybrid environments.

We are interested in works that examine the sensory, conceptual, cultural and technological dimensions of materiality, as well as the ways in which artists transform, manipulate, represent and experience materials.

From traditional techniques and handcrafted processes to digital surfaces, computational systems and virtual spaces, Materialities brings together diverse artistic approaches that question the relationship between matter, technology and human experience.

Artists working across painting, sculpture, textiles, photography, mixed media, installation, video, digital art, generative practices and other experimental forms are invited to apply.

Through an international online exhibition, the selected works will enter into dialogue within a shared digital environment, connecting tangible and intangible forms of artistic expression.

Applications are free of charge. Selected artists will receive international exhibition exposure, inclusion in the official catalogue, a dedicated profile on the gallery’s website, a digital certificate of participation and zero commission on artwork sales.

The Concept: Materialities

In contemporary artistic practice, materiality extends beyond the physical properties of objects. It encompasses processes, technologies, gestures, memories and the relationships established between bodies, materials and digital environments.

Materialities invites artists worldwide to explore the role of matter in contemporary art, questioning how materials are transformed, manipulated, represented and experienced across physical, digital and hybrid contexts.

From traditional artistic techniques to computational processes, the exhibition considers materiality as an active component of artistic expression rather than a passive medium.

Textiles, organic matter, industrial materials, photographic images, digital surfaces and technological interfaces become sites of experimentation, transformation and meaning.

The exhibition welcomes artistic practices that investigate the sensory, cultural, technological and conceptual dimensions of materiality, including the relationships between craftsmanship and digital production, permanence and ephemerality, presence and virtuality.

Through diverse artistic approaches, Materialities seeks to establish a dialogue between tangible and intangible forms of artistic expression, highlighting how contemporary artists rethink the relationship between matter, technology and human experience.

Eligible Artistic Practices

We welcome submissions from emerging and established artists working across a wide range of contemporary artistic disciplines, including

• Painting and Drawing
  
  
• Textile Art and Fibre Art
  
  
•  Sculpture and Ceramics
  
  
• Photography and Digital Imaging
  
  
• Mixed Media and Assemblage
  
  
• Installation Art
  
  
•  Video Art and Moving Image
  
  
• Digital, Generative and Post-Digital Art
  
  
• Performance and Experimental Artistic Practices (through visual documentation)

As Galeria 5ª ao Sul operates exclusively online, physical artworks will be exhibited through high-quality digital documentation within the virtual gallery.

What Selected Artists Receive

1. International 3D Virtual Exhibition

Selected artworks will be curated and presented in an immersive 3D exhibition hosted on KUNSTMATRIX, accessible to international audiences for one month.

2. Official Exhibition Catalogue

Inclusion in the exhibition’s official catalogue, published with an international ISBN through Amazon Publishing and made available globally in print and Kindle editions.

3. Digital Artist Presence

A dedicated artist profile on the official gallery website (5aosul.com), featuring the selected artworks, an artist biography and an artistic statement.

4. Certificate of Participation

An official digital certificate confirming participation in the international exhibition.

5. Zero Sales Commission

Galeria 5ª ao Sul does not charge commissions on artwork sales. Any enquiries from potential collectors will be forwarded directly to the respective artists.

Submission and Exhibition Fees

Applications are free of charge.

Only selected artists who confirm their participation will be required to pay an exhibition contribution fee, according to the number of artworks accepted:

• €35 — 1 selected artwork
  
  
• €50 — 2 selected artworks
  
  
• €75 — 3 selected artworks

These contributions support the gallery’s digital infrastructure, exhibition production, editorial activities and international promotion.

The number of artworks accepted will be determined through the curatorial selection process. Submission does not guarantee selection.

Key Dates

• Submission Deadline: 20 November 2026 (23:59 GMT)
•  Selection Notification: 24 November 2026
• Participation Confirmation and Payment: 27 November 2026
• Final Artwork Documentation: 30 November 2026
•  Exhibition Opening: 10 December 2026
•  Exhibition Closing: 9 January 2027

How to Apply

Artists are invited to submit their applications through the CuratorSpace platform.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed according to artistic quality, conceptual relevance, originality and the relationship between the proposed works and the exhibition theme.

About the Curator

Selma Eduarda Pereira is an artist, researcher, curator, and university lecturer. She has over 4K Instagram followers. 

Her work has been exhibited internationally across Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Macau, and South Korea, reflecting a sustained engagement with diverse cultural and artistic contexts.

Her artistic and research practice explores digital media articulated with textile processes and other tangible materials, investigating hybrid materialities and post‑digital aesthetics.

She holds a Ph.D. in Digital Media Art, publishes regularly in international journals, and exhibits continuously — with recent presentations at the CICA Museum (South Korea, 2024) and House of Smalls (Edinburgh, 2024).

As a curator, she has developed projects for The Wrong Biennale (2020, 2023, 2025), creating virtual pavilions dedicated to contemporary digital art.