Open Call

Contact us

Email: info@ioam.org.cn

Background

Beijing Inside-Out Art Museum is one of the earliest art museums in China to focus on the art of the autistic community. With the support of the Beijing Inside-Out Art Foundation and other institutions, it has participated in hosting 7 of the 17 “Autistic or Artistic” exhibitions since 2010, and has continued to plan and organize related academic seminars and public education activities, aiming to build a platform for dialogue between the art world and the autistic community. We are launching a new call for autism-themed artworks from the entire society.

In this journey spanning more than 20 years, the Inside-Out Art Museum has consistently prioritized public welfare and maintained a professional attitude, while continually exploring and learning in a down-to-earth manner: the first exhibition invited celebrities from diverse backgrounds and showcased over 150 paintings and calligraphy pieces by dozens of autistic children from across the nation; the fifth exhibition produced the first picture book featuring the art of autistic children; the seventh exhibition showed children’s creativity and initiated voluntary actions with the theme of “40 Games”; the ninth exhibition introduced eight professional artists and established the ‘Dialogue With The Autistic’ segment; and the thirteenth exhibition was held online in the context of the epidemic under the title of “Growing Up”. In the process, we spread the “Autistic or Artistic” activities to the society in various forms through online social media platforms and live painting, interactive and academic seminars.

We have repeatedly explored important issues such as cultural inclusiveness and the value of individual life, and have continued our previous experiences. And we also considered how a museum with public responsibility can deepen the project by engaging with social activities and collaborating with people from different fields on the premise of being trauma-informed, and by bringing in more perspectives on the issue. In 2024, we will shift our focus from the artistic practices of the autistic community to the environments in which they live. We will incorporate ourselves into these environments and make new attempts to launch this exhibition, ‘Love on the Spectrum’, to society.

Theme

Currently, the majority of professionals and society at large still understand autism within the framework of a “disease” or “disorder” from a medical perspective. This lack of understanding is rooted in progressive values, as if imperfect and different people are not allowed to exist in our public life. Based on findings from a variety of fields, an increasing number of autism research groups are stating that “autism is a manifestation of human neurodiversity”. The term “neurodiversity” was co-sponsored by the autistic community in 1996 during a discussion on the email list “Independent Living” (InLv). It refers to the phenomenon of neurological diversity in human beings, where each individual exhibits different neurocognitive functioning. This term is often used to describe people who think, behave, or learn in ways that fall outside the “typical” range, such as those with autism spectrum disorders. The majority of people, by contrast, are described as “neurotypical”. Furthermore, this range is constantly shifting, rendering the notion of a ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’ brain a false proposition.”

The theme of the 17th World Autism Day in 2024 is “Career-Wide Services, Comprehensive Care”. We hope that the exhibition “Autistic or Artistic” will promote professional exploration in the field of art on the basis of public welfare, and that our efforts will help to open up the horizons of the public’s awareness of the neurodiversity community. Based on the experience of the previous “Autistic or Artistic” exhibitions, this exhibition tries to make adjustments, focusing on the process and actions of the autistic community from the framework of neurodiversity. The theme ‘Love on the Spectrum’ is inspired by the Australian variety show ‘Love on the Spectrum’ in 2023, where autistic guests hope to find a lifelong companion.

“Love on the Spectrum” symbolizes inclusiveness and encourages us to envision various forms of coexistence and “love” with different life forms. Rather than pursuing the values and roles assigned to individuals by society, the exhibition provides an open field or laboratory where we can form a community, break down from social norms and routines, return to a keen and soft perception, shed pretenses, embrace truth, and support each other. As we contemplate our future with greater respect, it’s imperative to adopt more humane, non-stigmatizing language and concepts to understand diverse individuals and recognize the value of natural differences. Neurodiversity should be respected just like any other form of diversity, and a shift in perception regarding this group will enable ‘different’ individuals to integrate into public social life more seamlessly.

“One Meter Distance?”, an exhibition of public activity achievements, 2016

“Images of Innocence” opening

“Innocence and Civilization” seminar

Participation Requirements

Target audience: This exhibition is open to all ages and fields. Whether you are a beginner or a mature artist, scientist, or writer, a member of a neurodiverse group (ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.), a caregiver, or a creator who resonates with the theme of this call for entries, we look forward to your participation. We also welcome groups or long-term, deep-rooted projects.

Theme of the work: Creation does not have to be exclusively related to autism and includes literature research, investigation of a region/group, barriers created by rules encountered in life, associative experiences, art healing, group activities, multicultural perspectives and personal experiences of non-artistic interdisciplinary people.

Forms of work: All forms of artwork: painting, music, theatre, poetry, photography, sculpture, installation, video, fiction, documentation, interaction, game scenarios, experimental creations, etc.

All entries must be original and submitted by an individual or by a parent or support person of the creator.

Contact us

Interested parties are invited to send their applications to email by 30 August 2024:

info@ioam.org.cn, with the subject line: “Love on the Spectrum – The 17th Autistic or Artistic” Exhibition Open Call & Name.

Application Documents:

1、Personal introduction(Click here to download)

2、Introduction of works (including the conception of activities between exhibitions, limited to 1000 words or less)

3、Pictures/videos/programmes of completed works (each picture should be no less than 2M, within 10 pictures; video format should be mp4, resolution of 1080p is preferred, and the programme should be as detailed and specific as possible)

Works selected from this call are to be exhibited in the second half of 2024, with financial or academic support from the Inside-Out Art Museum as needed.

The time and place of the exhibition will be announced later.

Sponsors

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