What Jurors Look For in Open Call Submissions

The selection process for a curated open call can feel like a mystery from the outside. You submit your work, you wait, and then you either hear back or you don’t. What happened in between? What was the curator actually looking at?

This article opens up that process from the inside. As the curator of Marea Gallery, I review every submission personally. Here is what I am actually looking at when I go through an open call – and what consistently makes the difference between a submission that is passed over and one that is selected.

The first thing I see is the image

Before I read the statement, before I look at the artist’s name or country, I see the image. That first impression matters more than most artists realise.

I am not just looking at the artwork itself – I am looking at how the artist has chosen to present it. A sharp, well-lit photograph with accurate colours tells me something about how seriously the artist takes their practice. A blurry, dark, or skewed image creates doubt before I have even considered the work itself.

This is not about having expensive photography equipment. It is about taking the time to present your work with care. The artists who get selected almost always have clear, clean images – not because the work is technically perfect, but because it is visible.

Artistic quality – but not what you might expect

I look for work that has a point of view. That is not the same as technical mastery, though technical skill is part of it. It means that when I look at the piece, I can sense that there is a person behind it – someone who made choices, who has a way of seeing, who has something to say.

Work that feels generic – competent but interchangeable, without a distinctive voice – is harder to include in a curated exhibition. Not because it is bad, but because it doesn’t add anything specific to the conversation the exhibition is trying to create.

I look for work that has a point of view. When I look at the piece, I can sense that there is a person behind it.

Work that is less technically polished but has a clear, genuine voice will often be selected over work that is technically accomplished but feels empty. That is the honest truth about how curation works.

Connection to the theme

Every Marea Gallery open call is built around a specific theme. The theme is not a strict rule – it is an invitation. I don’t expect every selected work to illustrate the theme literally. But I do expect to be able to see the connection.

When I review a submission, I ask myself: does this work belong in this exhibition? Not just – is this good work? – but – does it contribute to the specific conversation this edition is trying to create?

A work that connects to the theme strongly will always have an advantage over one that doesn’t, even if both are equally strong as standalone pieces. This is why choosing the right work for each call matters – not just submitting your best piece, but submitting your most relevant one.

The artist statement – where many submissions are decided

The artist statement is where I learn whether the artist has thought about their work in relation to this specific exhibition – or whether they have recycled a generic text and hoped for the best.

A strong statement does three things. It tells me something specific about this work. It gives me a sense of the artist’s intention and process. And it makes the connection to the theme clear, in the artist’s own words.

What I don’t need is a biography, a list of exhibitions, or a description of the artist’s general practice. Those belong on a CV. The statement is a conversation about this work, for this exhibition.

I have selected work I was initially uncertain about because the statement opened it up for me – helped me see something in the piece I hadn’t noticed. And I have passed over work I found visually strong because the statement was so generic it told me nothing. The statement matters.

The coherence of the exhibition as a whole

This is the part of the selection process that is hardest to predict from the outside – and the most important to understand.

I am not selecting works in isolation. I am building an exhibition. That means that at a certain point in the selection process, I am asking not just – is this work good? – but – does this work fit alongside the other pieces I have already chosen?

This is why a strong submission can sometimes not be selected – not because the work isn’t good enough, but because the exhibition already has several pieces with a similar tone, colour palette, or approach. The work doesn’t fit the overall balance.

If your work isn’t selected, this is often what happened. It is not a judgement on your practice. It is the nature of curation. Try again in a future edition – the context will be different.

What I am not looking for

A few things that do not influence the selection:

Your follower count. I don’t look at Instagram profiles during selection. Social media reach has no bearing on whether your work is chosen.
Your exhibition history. I don’t favour artists who have been exhibited many times over those who haven’t. What matters is the work in front of me, not the CV behind it.
Your country or background. Marea Gallery is open to artists worldwide. Geography has no influence on selection.
The medium or technique. As long as your technique is on the accepted list, it doesn’t give you an advantage or disadvantage over other media.

A checklist before you submit

Based on everything above, here is what I would check before sending any open call submission:

Is my image sharp, well-lit, and free of watermarks or filters?
Is this the right work for this theme – not just my best work, but my most relevant?
Does my statement speak specifically to this work and this theme?
Have I filled in all the details accurately – title, medium, dimensions, year?
Am I submitting because this call genuinely fits my work – not just because it’s available?

Submit to the current Marea Gallery open call

Marea Gallery open calls are reviewed personally by curator Tamara Perusic. Each edition is themed, international, and open to visual artists at any stage of their career. Browse the current call and submit your work at mareagallery.com/open-calls.