Open Call — Small Hours, a group exhibition at Collective Z, New York

Collective Z invites artists at any career stage to submit small works for Small Hours, a group exhibition on New York's Lower East Side, December 11, 2026–January 9, 2027. Each artist shows four works in one size, arranged in a grid. The gallery seeks work that rewards close viewing: quiet, dense, slow, and made for this scale. Abstraction and figuration are welcome, in any medium that arrives as a finished object at the specified size. Sales are split 50/50, with no hanging or participation fee.

Small works that reward standing close: quiet, dense, slow, made for this scale rather than reduced to it.

Artists at any career stage may apply. Listed disciplines include drawing, painting, photography, and printmaking; the call welcomes any medium that arrives as a finished object at the required size, including abstraction and figuration. Submit four works that belong together, all in one size: 4 × 4, 8 × 8, or 12 × 12 inches square, or 8 × 10, 9 × 12, or 11 × 14 inches portrait. Works must be unframed with gallery profile, 1¼–2 inches deep, and will be hung in grids. Applicants may submit a finished set showing the exact works, or propose new works by showing existing work that carries the direction and describing in one or two sentences what the four works would be. Up to four back-up works in the same size may be offered, subject to the gallery's discretion. Apply online with a CV and 4–8 images; the application can be completed in multiple sittings. The standard application fee is $30; a reduced $15 fee is available in limited places for artists for whom the standard fee is a real barrier. There is no hanging or participation fee. The gallery sets prices in bands aligned with each artist's current market; sales are split 50/50. Applications close October 20, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET, but review is rolling and the call may close early once the walls are full. Notification is by October 31. Selected work is presented to collectors and advisors before the opening and on Artsy during and after the exhibition. Every applicant is also considered for Camp Z, Collective Z's fair program, at no extra fee.