CISTA ARTS invites artists worldwide to submit work for Under the Skin of Things, an exhibition exploring the hidden layers, unseen forces, and quiet traces that shape our experiences, relationships, environments, and understanding of the world. We welcome submissions from artists working across all visual art disciplines.

Under the Skin of Things

What lies beneath the visible?

Exibition Theme:

Every surface carries a history. Beneath what is immediately visible lie traces of experience, structures of power, systems of belief, emotional undercurrents, and material realities that shape how we encounter the world.

Under the Skin of Things invites artists to look beyond appearances and engage with what exists beneath the surface of contemporary life.

The exhibition welcomes works that reveal hidden tensions, overlooked narratives, subtle connections, and the forces that quietly influence individuals, communities, environments, and cultures.

Whether through explorations of memory, place, identity, ecology, politics, technology, the body, or material processes, artists are encouraged to consider what remains unseen, unspoken, or unresolved.

The exhibition is interested not only in revelation, but also in complexity: the layers, contradictions, and ambiguities that resist easy interpretation.

Open to all visual art disciplines, Under the Skin of Things seeks works that probe beneath the obvious, offering perspectives on the conditions, experiences, and relationships that shape our shared realities.

Dates:

Submission Deadline: 15 July 2026
Exhibition Dates: 1- 30 August 2026

Submission Guidelines:

We are keen to learn about you! Please submit the following:

• 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

Please note: Only two artworks per artist will be selected for exhibition.

Selected Participants Will Receive:

• Exhibition of your work on the CISTA ARTS online platform (1-30 August 2026)

• Inclusion in a professionally produced paperback catalogue (UK-based) + complimentary PDF copy

• No commission taken on sales

• Daily social media features in our Meet the Artist series

• Exhibition placement on our homepage + archived access after close

• Direct links to your website or social media in all features

• Certificate of participation

Participation Fee: 

£30 for one accepted artwork | £50 for two accepted artworks

Applying to this exhibition opportunity is free.

Participation Fee Benefits:

Selected artists will have their work exhibited online for the full month on our homepage, included in a professionally produced printed and digital exhibition catalogue, featured in daily social media promotion under our ‘Meet the Artist’ series, and receive a certificate of participation. 

CISTA ARTS takes no commission on sales.

Digital Exposure and Reach:

• We currently have over 12.1K followers on Instagram, in addition to a Facebook audience and a mailing list of over 2K subscribers.
• Our online exhibitions attract between 1,200–1,800 unique visitors, and our website receives more than 4,000 visits per month.

• Each participating artist will be permanently featured on our Past Exhibitions page, with direct links to their own website or social media for continued exposure.

Exhibition Access:

The exhibition is fully accessible to the public via our official website, with no login or fee required.

Exhibition History:

Since our founding in 2018, CISTA ARTS has organised over 50 solo and group exhibitions, both online and in hybrid formats. 

Our platform is designed to support emerging and mid-career artists across borders, particularly those facing visa and mobility restrictions.

Artist Feedback:

We have received consistently positive reviews from artists who have worked with us, with many praising our professionalism, communication, and the quality of our exhibitions. 

These testimonials can be viewed on our Google Reviews page.

About Us:

Based in London, CISTA ARTS is an independent, artist-led curatorial platform dedicated to inclusive programming, cross-cultural dialogue, and supporting underrepresented voices in contemporary visual art.