ARTgrID invites visual artists to submit their works for participation in the 5th annual exhibition of the series “New Normal”. This year’s exhibition is titled “The Blind Spot of the Mirror” and explores artificial intelligence as a mirror of the society in relation to reflections on its further evolution. The physical exhibition will be hosted in a well-known art gallery in Athens in January 2026 and concurrently online on our platform for a duration of one month.

The Open Call and the exhibition are international. The official languages are Greek and English and all exhibition material will be bilingual. A commemorative catalogue in e-book format will be published, available to everyone through a permanent link.

Eligible Artworks. You can submit paintings, sculpture, printmaking, photography, digital art, collage, videoart and augmented reality works.

Conceptual framework
At a time when artificial intelligence is “trained” daily by our use, a paradox appears. The smarter the machine becomes, the more it reflects our weaknesses. Artificial intelligence, despite its name, is not artificial; it is the mirror of human accumulation of knowledge, desires and behaviours. It is not dangerous by its nature, but by the nature of its use.

The machine accessible to the ordinary user is shaped by the questions that are asked most often, by the needs expressed with greatest intensity, by the patterns that are repeated. It is what the theory of the Human-Artificial Intelligence Symbiotic Relationship (HAIST) describes as the interaction between humans and AI as a collaborative and co-evolving relationship. However, artificial intelligence inscribes, filters and retransmits social behaviours, communicative tactics and mindsets that dominate among its users. It does not learn “objectively”; it learns from us.

Conversely, artificial intelligence now shapes not only content but also perceptions. Impact Theories explain how large language models influence users’ attitudes and behaviours through the repeated patterns they have “learned” to imitate. When these patterns are simplistic or poor, the influence exerted becomes a reproduction of banality.

Ultimately does artificial intelligence produce “mirrors” that make us sad when we look at them? Perhaps the idea we fear as its evolution is not that it will write our future with dark letters on its own, but in reality that it will adopt our worst self.

About the “New Normal” exhibition series. The “New Normal” exhibition series, conceived and curated by Paris Kapralos, is a long-term visual arts endeavour that explores the impacts of contemporary crises, such as the pandemic, climate change, social restructurings and technological challenges, on human experience. Starting in 2021 with a focus on the impact of the pandemic, each exhibition in the series operates as an independent chapter of a collective dialogue where artists are invited to depict, interpret and reflect on the changing conditions of our time.

What you must submit. You must send by email to artistsartgrid@gmail.com with subject “Normal” the following:

• (1) Photographs of up to 2 available works, in separate photo files for each work, in large-size jpg format of good clarity and high resolution, if the works you submit are painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, digital art or collage. Attention: the works are not indicative. If selected, you can exhibit exclusively the work or works you submitted. Works on paper must be sent photographed without frame/glass.
  If the works you submit are Video Art, or augmented reality works you must either send us common video files via wetransfer and an email with the remaining details, or refer us to a link (Vimeo, YouTube) where the video is accessible in full, and in the case of augmented reality works your proposal must include the way the works operate in space.
• (2) Details of the works, with reference to each using the file name (e.g. A1.JPG) which must state in this order separated by commas: Artist’s full name, Title of work, Materials and technique, Dimensions (in centimetres, Height X Width if hanging or if sculpture Height X Width X Depth), Year of completion.
• (3) Your contact details: Full name, Email, contact telephone number.

Important notes
– Clarifications, questions and enquiries strictly and only about the submission process should be sent in writing by email to the above submission address and will be answered within 24 hours, provided they are sent no later than 3 days before the submission deadline.
– Information about the organization and the proposal that will be made to you if and when you are selected will be given only to the selected artists, after submission and selection – not before.
– Submissions that do not include everything we ask for, or that do not follow the appropriate manner of formulation and sending of the requested material will be ignored.
– Untitled works are not accepted.
– If you are selected we will contact you immediately with a reply email that will include full information about the procedures for your participation.
– The submission deadline is not necessarily for you to create works, but you can choose works you have, consider representative of you, relevant to the theme, and that you would like to present in the context of the exhibition.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: until Sunday 28 December 2025 at 23:59.