The Inner City explores the psychological experience of living in a contemporary metropolis. The pace of urban life, its constant demands, the abundance of information and the pressure to keep moving can shape our inner worlds in ways that often remain invisible. Overthinking, mental fatigue, loneliness, overstimulation and the search for a moment of calm are all part of this experience. Yet city life also creates unexpected encounters, moments of intimacy, personal discoveries and opportunities for renewal.

For this open call, we are looking for artists whose work explores how contemporary urban life influences our thoughts, emotions and psychological well-being.

We are interested in works that examine the relationship between external urban environments and our internal experiences, revealing feelings and states of mind that are not always immediately visible.

The constant movement of a city can leave little room for stillness or reflection.

The density of urban life can create a sense of connection, but also isolation.

We invite artists to consider what it means to live in a contemporary city — how urban environments shape our emotional states, influence our perception of ourselves and others, and affect the ways in which we experience everyday life.

We are interested in practices that explore:

• the psychological effects of contemporary urban life
• overthinking, anxiety and mental fatigue
• overstimulation and information overload
• loneliness, isolation and the need for connection
• the relationship between the individual and the urban environment
• the search for stillness, calm and personal space
• intimacy and solitude in densely populated environments
• moments of escape, reflection and renewal
• the ways in which external environments shape our inner worlds.

The work does not need to address these ideas explicitly or theoretically. They may emerge through subject matter, composition, colour, material, gesture, atmosphere, spatial relationships or the emotional qualities of an artwork.

We welcome different approaches to the theme and are particularly interested in works that offer personal interpretations of urban experience, make visible the less tangible aspects of everyday life or invite us to reconsider how the city shapes our inner worlds.

About the exhibition

The exhibition will take place in the second half of December 2026 at an intimate venue in the heart of Shanghai's former French Concession, a distinctive area of Shanghai known for its historic architecture, cultural venues and international atmosphere.

The intimate setting is intended to encourage a close encounter between visitors and the artworks, bringing together artists, art enthusiasts and audiences interested in contemporary art and international cultural exchange, with expected footfall from both local art audiences and international visitors.

The exhibition marks the first Shanghai presentation of Zhen Yi Gallery's international curatorial programme, creating an opportunity to connect its activities in Paris with a new artistic and cultural context in China.

Media

We welcome submissions of small-format works in the following media:

painting, drawing and works on paper.

Works should be suitable for presentation in an intimate exhibition setting and compact enough for international transportation.

Who Can Apply

We welcome international submissions from emerging and mid-career artists working in painting, drawing, sculpture and mixed media.

About the Organisers

Zhen Yi Gallery is a Paris-based nomadic contemporary art gallery and curatorial research platform, founded in 2025 by curator Evgeniya Makarshina.

As a nomadic gallery, it works across different spaces in Paris, creating flexible contexts for exhibitions, collaborations and artistic exchange.

The founder actively networks within the international art community, having over 500 professional connections on LinkedIn.

During its first year, Zhen Yi Gallery featured 38 artists across 6 exhibitions.

The gallery's programme has developed through a continuing interest in how experience is shaped through the body, perception, material and surrounding environments, as well as through memory and time.

Its exhibitions have examined questions around boundaries, presence and absence, visibility, transformation, uncertainty and the ways in which we encounter and interpret the world around us.

With The Inner City, the gallery turns its attention to the psychological experience of urban life and the ways contemporary cities shape our inner worlds.

Previous Exhibitions

Shaping the View (2026) — explored how photographic images shape our perception of reality, examining the relationship between what is seen and what is believed, and how framing, perspective, context and visual construction influence the way we interpret images.Suspended (2026) — explored suspension as a condition in which different temporalities, meanings and possibilities coexist.
Transient States (2026) — examined uncertainty and experiences that resist resolution, inviting attention to moments in which meaning and perception remain open.
The Body as a Threshold — Edition II (2026) — continued the investigation of the body as a threshold, focusing on identity, movement, constraint, symbolic dispersion and  extension and the traces through which the body is encountered indirectly.
The Body as a Threshold (2025) — approached the body as a site of passage where sensation and perception meet, exploring permeability, inner and outer experience, surveillance and the pressures of the surrounding world.
Scentless Depths (2025) — explored water as rhythm, resonance and invisible presence, considering depth, permeability, transformation and what remains unseen.

What We Offer

• Exhibition presentation in Shanghai
• Curatorial guidance and exhibition coordination
• Promotion on the gallery's social media platforms
• Individual Instagram publications introducing participating artists and their works
• Visibility through the gallery's international network
• Opportunities for networking and cross-cultural exchange
• Certificates of participation
• Visitor Attendance

The exhibition opening is planned to attract approximately 40–60 visitors  including artists, curators, collectors and members of the public.

Visitor Profile

The audience includes artists, curators, collectors, art enthusiasts and international visitors exploring Shanghai's former French Concession.

Submission Terms

Exhibition participation contribution (only if selected): £170 / €200. This contribution supports exhibition production, installation, and gallery space expenses.

Delivery of artworks to Shanghai and return shipping from Shanghai are the responsibility of the artist, including all associated costs. The gallery will provide the delivery address and assist with coordinating the return of unsold works after the exhibition.

Deadline: 30  November, 2026

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