University of Buffalo

Buffalo, New York

Ill at Ease: Dis-ease in Art is an exhibition centered around the topic of illness—biological,
physical, mental, societal, environmental—and, paradoxically, health. Bound up in an often tense
position within American culture, illness and health structure the ways we interact with the
others, society, and the world. This exhibition explores how illness, far from being a stable
category, shifts according to ever changing societal anxieties and reveals the limitations of the
collective and individual human body. Illness, in the name of health, is often denied, rendered
invisible, and shunned. Ill at Ease aims to make illness visible, to explore our fraught and
complicated relationships to it.

Ill at Ease will look at ways illness is moralized, used as metaphor, “othered,” disruptive, or
assimilated and normalized to unpack the discomfort that has been built up around the ill body.
We are currently soliciting submissions for consideration in inclusion in the exhibition. Artwork
that explores illness from a variety of vantage points are encouraged, including but not limited to
caregiver, patient, survivor, etc. Works can connect to the thesis in variety of ways. All mediums
of work will be considered, including but not limited to sculpture, painting, drawings, video, new media, and performance.

RULES

Applicants may be of any country of origin, but must be living and working in the United
States or responding to illness as it pertains to the United States, as this show is responding
to illness within the context of American culture.

All mediums of work will be considered; however, projects must be realized and completed
at time of submission. Proposed projects that have not been created will not be considered.

Artists of any experience are welcome and encouraged to apply.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions must be received electronically by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, July 8, 2016, to be considered. Please use: http://art.buffalo.edu/resources/lower-gallery/ill- at-ease- open-call/

Only one application per artist will be accepted; however, artists may submit up to three
works for consideration, and up to five images of the work or one video clip per each work
on the application. File formats accepted are JPEG, TIFF, PDF, and MOV.

Image files should be no larger than 5 MB; video clips may exceed this size requirement but
should be no longer than 5 minutes in duration.

Artists will be asked to submit a brief artist statement, a description of each submitted work,
a CV, and a link to artist website.

All mediums of work will be considered; however, only submissions of existing work will be
considered. At this time, proposed and unrealized projects will not be accepted.

Work will be selected based upon material and conceptual strength of the work, relationship
to the topic of illness, and visual relationships developed between accepted work.

For more submission details, please see the electronic submission form.

DATES

Submissions due Friday, July 8, 2016.
Artists will be notified by e-mail of decisions by Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Confirmation by accepted artists and commitment to show work will be required by Friday,
September 2, 2016.

Work must be received by the gallery by October 1, 2016, by 3:00 pm.
Work will be returned, or needed to be picked up, by December 16, 2016.

For additional information or to address any questions, please contact Conor Moynihan at

[email protected]