Open Call for Submissions: " The Unfinished Work" Haus A Rest is excited to announce our next open call for artists, writers, poets, and musicians for our upcoming exhibition and publication.

This theme invites a reflection on the beauty, mystery, and complexity of incomplete creations—whether an artwork, a piece of writing, a poem, music, or even an exploration of the unfinished in concept or form.

We welcome literal "unfinished works" and those that contemplate the idea of incompletion, ambiguity, and process.

Theme: The Unfinished Work

This can take many forms. It could be:

A painting that remains half-done, paused in its creative process.

A poem that lingers on an incomplete thought, where the unresolved space holds meaning.

An unfinished story or essay that questions its conclusion, or perhaps never intended to find one.

A musical piece with notes left unplayed, inviting listeners into the silence of what could have been.

Works that reflect on the theme of "unfinished" or explore incompleteness as a concept, allowing space for interpretation and open-endedness.

Throughout history, many great works of art, literature, and music have remained unfinished—whether due to external circumstances, the creator’s choice, or simply because the work seemed to resist completion.

Yet, these incomplete pieces often offer us a deeper glimpse into the artist's process, a sense of vulnerability, or an invitation to imagine what could have been.

The theme "Unfinished Work" invites contributors to reflect on and embrace the power of incompletion, process, and imperfection.

It’s a chance to celebrate the unfinished as its form of art—a moment frozen in time, open-ended and full of possibility.

This open call encourages you to engage with your unfinished projects or to create new works inspired by the concept of incompletion.

Consider what it means to be unfinished in a world that often prioritises polished and complete work.

Can the incomplete carry a different kind of emotional or aesthetic weight?

What happens when a piece resists closure or finality? How does the unfinished give voice to the untold, the open-ended, and the unresolved?

By encouraging submissions based on the theme of " The Unfinished Work," we invite creators to engage with the tension between finality and process, completion and incompletion—allowing space for the unfinished to be honoured and celebrated as a vital part of creative expression.

This theme challenges the traditional expectation of a "finished" work and asks, What is the value of the incomplete? What stories, emotions, or ideas exist in the liminal spaces between creation and completion?

Submission Guidelines:

We encourage a diverse range of submissions, including but not limited to:

Visual Art: Paintings, drawings, photography, digital art, mixed media, etc. Feel free to submit "unfinished" pieces as they stand or completed works that engage with the idea of incompletion.

Writing: Short stories, essays, flash fiction, poetry, or other literary forms. We welcome incomplete drafts, fragments, or complete pieces that wrestle with the theme of the unfinished.

Music: Instrumental, vocal, or sound compositions. This can be an unfinished track, demo, or soundscape exploring incompletion.

Multidisciplinary Work: We embrace hybrid forms that may combine visual art, text, sound, and other media.

Specifications:

Visual Artists: Submit up to 3 high-quality images of your work (.jpeg only). Each work should be accompanied by a short description (max 200 words) explaining how it relates to the theme.

Writers/Poets: Submit up to 3 written works (max 1,000 words per piece), in .docx format only. This can be one piece or two incomplete ones, or any combination that reflects the theme.

Musicians/Sound/video Artists: Submit up to 3 audio tracks (mp3 or link to YouTube, Vimeo), along with a brief description (max 200 words) of how your work ties into the theme of "unfinished."

Deadline for Submission: 4/10/2024

Your work will not be accepted if you do not provide the requested information. If accepted your work will be featured in the Zine, Instagram, and FB for a least one month, and very likely for several. We do not guarantee to keep your work listed after the issue has ended.

Please note:

* We love to see short films. We accept Vimeo and YouTube only. Please make sure they are set to public.

* Please only submit work that is your own and meets the theme.

Good Luck! from the editors 

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https://jennafoxartist.weebly.com/

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