Open calls are one of the few structures built specifically to close that gap.
What counts as an open call
An open call invites artists to submit work or proposals for consideration by a gallery, institution, curator or panel. It can take the shape of an exhibition, a residency, a grant, a competition or a publication. For exhibition-based calls, artists are typically asked for the work itself alongside an artist statement, a portfolio, a short profile or a proposal, which is then reviewed against criteria set by the organiser.
Writer Claudia Kennaugh frames an open call as more than an invitation to be exhibited. It's also a way to get work in front of more eyes, including collectors and galleries who might not otherwise encounter it. The Massachusetts Cultural Council describes it more plainly still: a defined opportunity, announced publicly, where artists provide examples of their work alongside supporting material like a résumé or statement.
The key distinction is that an open call is open for consideration, not automatic inclusion. Artists apply; a selection process decides who takes part. That's what separates it from a curator-invited exhibition, it's a formal entry point for artists outside a gallery's existing circle.
Why they matter
The art world runs on networks which comprise of galleries, curators, institutions, collectors, writers and artists, all in constant contact with one another. If you're already inside those networks, opportunities tend to surface through relationships. If you're not, getting in is considerably harder.
Open calls don't dissolve that barrier entirely as selection is still subjective, and different organisers have different priorities but they do create a structure where the work itself becomes the primary basis for consideration, rather than who you know.
Ilham Art Show 2025 Open Call
The scale of participation in Malaysia's major open-call exhibitions makes the appetite for this clear. The inaugural ILHAM Art Show in 2022 drew more than 360 applications for 31 spots. Its second edition drew over 270 entries and selected 20 artists and collectives, deliberately intergenerational and interdisciplinary. The exhibition exhibited painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, installation, textile, film and video, side by side. Artists are actively looking for these entry points, in numbers that outstrip the space available by an order of magnitude.
Visibility beyond the wall
Being selected for an exhibition isn't only about having work on display but by being exhibited, it places an artist inside a larger conversation. Their name surfaces in announcements, catalogues, press coverage, social media and public programming; their work reaches curators, collectors and audiences who hadn't encountered it before.
That's also why exhibition history matters on a CV. Over time, a record of exhibitions, awards, residencies and other recognition builds an artist's professional profile and an open call is often the first line in that record.
ILHAM Art Show illustrates this well beyond the exhibition itself: the gallery positions it as a platform for contemporary practice in Malaysia, backing selected artists with production grants and curatorial engagement. The visibility isn't confined to the run of the show.
What's gained even without selection
This is the part of open calls that gets the least attention: not being selected doesn't mean the application was wasted.
Applying is itself a professional exercise. Artists have to organise a portfolio, document work properly, write or sharpen a statement, prepare a biography, and think about how to present their practice to someone encountering it for the first time. Do this regularly and an artist gets measurably better at communicating what they do, which works represent their current direction, how to articulate the ideas behind them, and how a strong portfolio differs from simply a large one.
It also forces artists to look closely at their own practice. What's recurring? What's changed over the last two years? What belongs together? The application process ends up doubling as a form of self-assessment.
And even a rejected submission has put the work in front of jurors, curators and galleries who hadn't seen it before which is still a point of contact with the wider ecosystem that exists independent of the outcome. Not every submission leads anywhere further, and artists shouldn't expect that it will. But over time, these encounters accumulate. Rejection is simply part of the process, not a verdict on the work.
Open calls in Malaysia
Malaysia's open-call landscape is growing. ILHAM Art Show, established in 2022 and held triennially, was built to push artists toward experimentation and risk; its 2025 edition was open to artists based in Malaysia regardless of nationality, experience or medium, plus Malaysian artists based overseas. TAKSU's Locals Only! brought back its open-call component in 2026, aiming to surface fresh and underrepresented voices alongside established names. Smaller, more frequent opportunities exist too. The 2026 Untitled open call at GMBB, for instance, invited artists across media and themes into a group exhibition.
These sit at every level of the ecosystem, from institutional shows to commercial galleries to independent, project-based exhibitions. Opportunity isn't only found at the top: a smaller show can still introduce an artist to a new audience, add to a CV, build new professional relationships, or simply move the work out of the studio.
Choosing calls with intention
The Malaysian art scene is compact but increasingly active, and artists should build the habit of watching for these opportunities. That doesn't mean applying to everything. Applying indiscriminately can work against an artist and the better question isn't just "Can I get into this?", but whether the exhibition fits the practice, whether the organiser is credible, and what the terms actually are. Submission fees, production costs, transport, insurance, commissions, copyright, sales arrangements and return shipping vary widely between organisers, and they're worth reading closely before committing. Quality of opportunity matters more than volume of applications.
ARTO Open and the wider ecosystem
ARTO Open sits inside this landscape with a specific intent: not to fill exhibition space, but to give artists a platform to meet new audiences, practices and professional possibilities. It's conceived as open-theme rather than prescribing a conceptual direction, it asks artists to submit work that represents their own practice, ideas and perspective as they currently stand.
That matters particularly for ARTO Movement. The Malaysian and Southeast Asian art landscape holds artists across generations, mediums and backgrounds, many without extensive institutional visibility yet. Creating a route for that work to be seen is one way an independent platform can contribute to a more connected, more diverse ecosystem.
An open call isn't just an announcement. It's an invitation for artists to put work forward, for curators to encounter practices outside their usual circles, and for audiences to discover names they wouldn't otherwise come across. Not every artist who applies will be selected. But every serious application is a way of saying: here is the work, here is the practice, consider it.
Sometimes that's exactly where visibility begins.
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